The second oldest Christian Brother's School in the United States, St. John's College was established in 1851 by Brother John of Mary, F.S.C., and two other Christian Brothers in St. Matthew's parish, 15th and H Streets. These three religious had been members of the faculty of Calvert Hall College, Baltimore, since its founding in 1845.

Because of space limitations, the Brothers moved the school to Carroll Hall at 10th and G Streets in 1866 at the invitation of Father Walter. In 1868, the Brothers returned to St. Matthew's parish at the request of Father Charles White, who had built a new school named St. Matthew's Institute at the corner of 16th and L Streets.

In 1878, the Brothers purchased the 1225 Vermont Avenue site of St. John's from the estate of General Montgomery C. Meigs. In August of the same year, the construction of the building was begun. At first it was known as St. John's Collegiate Institute, and finally, in 1887, it assumed its present title of St. John's College. In that year, the college as incorporated under the District of Columbia statutes with the power to confer the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts. At the commencement of June 24, 1892, the bachelor's degree was conferred on six young men.

Largely through the efforts of Brother Elzear Alfred, F.S.C., the Cadet Corps was organized under the direction of the United States Army and Major J. Dapray in 1915. From its inception, the Cadet Regiment has won recognition as an outstanding military unit. for years it has participated in the Presidential parades.

As the undergraduate departments of Catholic University and Georgetown University expanded, it was decided in 1921 by the Board of Trustees of St. John's to discontinue the college department and devote the school facilities to secondary education alone. In the meantime, St. John's did pioneer work in commercial education by opening a school of commerce and finance at 13th and Massachusetts Avenue. Three years after the college department was discontinued, the annex building, housing the gym, swimming pool, and freshman classes, was built.

St. John's continued to prosper for the next thirty years, until it became apparent the the Vermont Avenue facilities were no longer adequate. With further expansion in mind, the Brothers purchased the present campus bounded by Rock Creek Park. This property, together with the spacious mansion located there provided sufficient space for the freshman classes and athletic events.

As the Vermont Avenue buildings became less useful, the Brothers decided to build a new school on the Military Road Campus. The new St. John's opened to more than one thousand students in September 1959.

St. John's has, since its inception, consistently played a prominent role on the Washington scene. The School has produced thousands of graduates who have been leaders in the civil, religious, and business life of the Washington area. Steeped in tradition, St. John's has begun its second century as one of the oldest and most outstanding educational institutions in the District of Columbia.