Academic performance is important—but so is taking care of yourself! At Saint John’s Prep, we encourage our students to maintain healthy school-life balances. Our campus has quiet indoor and outdoor common spaces you can use to study, read, socialize with your friends, or relax and recharge your social battery.
Our dedicated counseling team provides safe and supportive spaces to help you navigate a new environment and your academic career. Whether it’s signing up for classes, applying for college, settling into resident life, or creating healthy habits, we’re here to lend a hand.
Our students have a significant amount of freedom over their daily lives—you decide where to eat lunch, when to socialize with friends, and how to spend your free period. Giving students the freedom to explore and choose their own path promotes the development of independent living skills and helps students connect and bond with each other. Here at Saint John’s, there’s something for everyone—and everyone is welcome!
As a Saint John’s student, you shape your own education. Our middle school students have the flexibility to fill out their own schedules, choosing from a variety of electives that range from outdoor skills classes and STEM prep courses to game strategies and woodcraft.
Saint John’s Prep works in partnership with colleges and universities across the country to provide a unique opportunity to streamline the college acceptance process. When you graduate from Saint John’s with a qualifying GPA, you can apply to a partnered university and get automatically accepted. Colleges participating in the program include Saint John’s University, the College of Saint Benedict, The University of Minnesota Duluth, and Lewis and Clark College.
Residential life lies at the core of the Saint John’s Prep boarding experience. Our students stay in St. Michael Hall and are supervised by a qualified team of adults and Resident Directors who have experience working with kids and young adults. Students can stay in the dorms five days a week and return home on weekends, or they can stay on campus seven days a week. Long weekends take place four times a year, with one in October, one in November, and two in March or April. During these breaks, students are free to either stay in the dorms or take a trip off campus.
At Saint John’s Prep, we go beyond the traditional curriculum. We utilize our campus as an outdoor classroom which allows students to take a hands-on approach to learning a variety of subjects, including biology, ecology, and even the fine arts. Our students foster a sense of stewardship and deep environmental responsibility through our outdoor skills classes, which teach the basics of plant identification, fire building, and more.
Our campus is located on 2,900 acres of natural Minnesota landscape, featuring Lake Sagatagan, native flora and fauna, historic structures, and over 15 miles of maintained trails. Year-round, our students are encouraged to immerse themselves in nature, both as part of their education and for their own enjoyment. Whether you’re a daytime or boarding student, our campus provides a unique landscape to experience all four seasons.
Unlike other prep schools, Saint John’s Prep shares its campus with one of the top universities in the state, so there’s always something to do. Throughout the year, our campus hosts a variety of outdoor community events, including the Maple Syrup Festival, snowshoe making, and Luminary Walks.
Congratulations! You found a key—collect all four to unlock my treasure and claim your prize!
Congratulations! You found a key—collect all four to unlock my treasure and claim your prize!
Congratulations! You found a key—collect all four to unlock my treasure and claim your prize!
The golden glimmer of a key!
Congratulations! You found a key—collect all four to unlock my treasure and claim your prize!
No matter your faith, we encourage all students to explore their spiritual identity through everyday activities, including weekly prayer and colloquium assemblies. Our campus ministry is the perfect place to engage in meaningful service, develop values that align with your beliefs, and make a real difference in the world around you.
We believe you should have a say in shaping your experience at Saint John’s Prep. Our student body is represented by class leaders, who work with faculty and staff to advocate for their peers, organize on-campus events, and bring attention to student concerns.
We strive to give all students the opportunity to participate and have fun with competitive sports. We offer programs for soccer, girls swimming, cross country, basketball, Nordic skiing, track and field, baseball, softball, tennis, and esports at both the middle school and upper class levels.
Our athletics program focuses less on maintaining a competitive edge and more on helping students discover their passions and stay physically healthy. All our students are guaranteed playtime on our sports teams, so check out our sports programs, find out what interests you, and go for it!
Residents of St. Michael Hall have access to a top-of-the-line gourmet kitchen they can use to make a snack, cook dinner, or experiment with their own recipes. With fresh, locally-grown produce from our community garden, you can create any dish you like! Our kitchen is also regularly used to host community-building events, including pizza parties and traditional family-style meals.
Our boarding students are encouraged to participate in the Saint John’s Prep community by joining student organizations, getting involved in community development events, and spending time with other students in shared study spaces—so get out there and make some friends!
There are plenty of different ways to get involved on the Saint John’s campus—from academic groups like math team and Knowledge Bowl to creative clubs like drama and yearbook. No matter what interests you, there’s a club for everyone!
Sports should be fun—but it’s nice to win, too! Over the last several years, our academic clubs have taken home numerous awards and distinctions. In particular, our Knowledge Bowl, esports, and cross-country teams have all placed in major state tournaments and nabbed prestigious titles.
Our prep school’s proximity to Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s University campuses means students have access to their amenities, including outdoor equipment rentals, transportation services, Clemens Stadium, arboretum trails, and the Benedicta Arts Center. Our campus boasts a few amenities of its own, including a community garden, which provides students the opportunity to cultivate an interest in agriculture and develop their growing skills—all while giving back to their community. Everyone is welcome to the fresh veggies grown in the garden, and every year, our 6th-grade class harvests the vegetables and shares a meal together.
Saint John’s Prep is dedicated to fostering an inclusive, welcoming atmosphere on campus. Students of all nationalities, faiths, and economic backgrounds are encouraged to schedule a campus visit. See how your child can achieve their academic goals and thrive in a community of like-minded peers at Saint John’s.
At Saint John’s Prep, we take the safety and privacy of our students very seriously. Our campus partners with Saint John’s University Life Safety Services, which maintains a small force of highly-trained security officers as well as a state-of-the-art emergency alert system to keep both campuses safe and secure.
We’re dedicated to nurturing the brightest minds—and financial status should not be a barrier to your child’s success. Whether they’re an international student, a weekday boarding student, or a daytime student, we offer variable tuition based on student needs, scholarships, and even a work-study program for students aged 16 and up.
Hi there! I’m Jon McGee, the Head of School at Saint John’s Prep, and this is Dr. Christine Glomski, our principal. Here, we believe in transparency and developing connections between our school and parents. Through our partnerships, we keep parents informed and provide Saint John’s students with a solid foundation for success, nurturing their independence in preparation for college and life beyond.
At Saint John’s, we believe a foundational understanding of the arts is a helpful and necessary component of a well-rounded education, allowing students to articulate their thoughts and express themselves in ways they otherwise couldn’t. Our arts program is the perfect place to find your niche, whether you’re into pottery, theatre, music, or something else entirely. We encourage our students to do what interests them, whether that means dedicating all of their time to a specific craft or trying a bit of everything.
The fine arts change over time—exciting new forms of art are constantly being created. Saint John’s fine arts program gives you an overview of both traditional arts, like painting and pottery, and newer forms of art, including photography and video production.
Exciting educational experiences are the best way to learn! Throughout the year, our middle schoolers participate in field trips, service projects, and community events designed to promote their growth as students and members of the community—all while making school fun and learning interesting.
Our educated, passionate teachers are experts in their field and instill students with curiosity and a passion for learning. Our upper class curriculum matches rigorous college prep standards, teaching students to be inquisitive and discover more about the concepts and subjects that drive them.
Saint John’s is one of the best schools in the state, offering both a well-rounded curriculum and an experience you can’t find anywhere else. We’ve received numerous academic awards throughout our long history—most notably, we’re a fully accredited member of the Independent Schools Association of the Central States, and we were listed among the top schools in Minnesota by Niche.com in 2022!
Upper School students have access to meals at the Refectory and Sexton Dining, located on the Saint John’s University’s campus, or they can pick up a coffee at the Schu during their open period! Saint John’s Prep resident students can also utilize their meal plan on the Saint Ben’s campus. Our Middle School students can find grab ‘n’ go options at our snack bar or bring food from home—either way, they enjoy lunch outside, followed by recess.
We’re proud of our international students! Saint John’s Prep attracts bright minds from all over the world, and we honor their home countries by displaying their flags here. Our school’s diverse student body provides you with opportunities to form international friendships, reinforce multicultural awareness, and develop a greater understanding of the world as a whole. At Saint John’s Prep, all students are welcome in the rat pack!
Lake Sagatagan is the largest lake on the Saint John’s campus and the perfect place to establish healthy mental and physical habits. The area surrounding the lake is registered with the state of Minnesota as a protected wetland, and Saint John’s own stewardship programs have kept Lake Sagatagan safe and clean for students and wildlife alike.
Through the Saint John’s Outdoor Leadership Center, you can rent equipment for all kinds of outdoor activities, including kayaks, canoes, ice fishing equipment, paddleboards, snowshoes, and cross-country skis. Students have access to the hiking trails year-round, can enjoy the beach in the fall, and are just a short way away from the Wobegon bike trail.
Our immersive art courses combine critical thinking with our campus’ natural resources to help students cultivate creativity and a deep appreciation for the natural world. Our art program is inherently tied to our campus’ landscape, with students engaging in art projects using materials harvested from around campus, like clay, leaves, and charcoal. We strive to inspire future artists while upholding our tradition of environmental stewardship.
