The first Catholic School in McHenry County was founded in Johnsburg at St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish. The first church, made of logs in about 1843, served also as a school.
The second school was built in 1866. This little one room school came to be known as the "District School". Here lay teachers taught until 1901 when a larger school building was needed to accommodate a growing population.
The new school was built directly behind the "District School". The second level boasted a spacious parish hall. The district school became the classroom for the seventh and eighth grades. The school was named St. Joseph Parochial School after the school sisters of St. Francis of the St. Joseph Covenant, Milwaukee, WI who were contracted to take over the teaching responsibilities of both schools.
Fire razed the new school on February 19, 1945. Only the district school was saved. While worked commenced on a temporary building, classes were held in Hettermann's Garage. The temporary structure was ready for Fall classes while plans were made for a permanent arrangement.
After five years, the classes were now moved to what is known as James C. Bush Elementary School in 1950. The community voted in favor of having the nuns continue to teach even though it was a public school. This arrangement was short-lived when a Johnsburg resident filed a complaint in April 1953, stating that while the school was Public, it was operated as Roman Catholic.
In September 1953, the children returned to classes in the temporary structure, the new St. John School which is our current classroom building, was ready for use before the termination of the 1953-1954 school year. The current parish complex boasts an administration center and multi-purpose gymnasium facility. Adjacent to these are the new early education classrooms, science and computer labs, library and conference room.
From our meager beginnings in small log cabin to our new modern facilities, our students facility and parish families can be truly thankful to God for all His blessings on our Catholic community of St. John's.