At a Glance
A Catholic college prep in Astoria offering a rare 7-year track from freshman year to a bachelor's degree.
Best suited for
Catholic or faith-oriented families in or near western Queens who want a structured, college-driven secondary experience — especially those intrigued by the 7-year bachelor's track and willing to pay a premium tuition for it.
What stands out
- The 7-year Baccalaureate Program is genuinely unusual — students can move from high school freshman directly into a bachelor's degree without a separate college application cycle.
- A robust AP catalog of 15+ courses gives strong college-prep students room to push.
- A dedicated STEM track and Computer Science offering, which is more than many Catholic preps of this size maintain.
- A Forensics program (debate and speech) that adds an extracurricular lane you don't see at every Catholic school.
- Catholic identity is built into the mission rather than bolted on, with service and faith woven into the academic program.
Things to consider
- Tuition is a flat $45,000 with no published lower tiers, which puts the school firmly in the upper bracket for Catholic secondary education in NYC.
- Parent reviews flag outdated facilities and inconsistent temperature control — worth a campus visit before committing.
- Some parents have raised concerns about student vaping on campus and slow administrative follow-through, so ask current families directly.
- Hispanic representation is very low, which matters for families hoping their child will be in a culturally varied peer group.
- Rolling admissions can be a plus for flexibility but means spots may close earlier than a fixed deadline would suggest.
Identity
St. John's Prep is a coed Roman Catholic secondary school that frames itself as a college preparatory community, weaving faith, service, and academic rigor into a single mission. It serves grades 9 through 12 and is fully accredited by the New York State Board of Regents.
Community
About 73% of students identify as White, with meaningful Asian (around 13%) and Black (around 8%) representation and a small multiracial share. Hispanic enrollment is notably thin at well under 1%, which gives the student body a particular demographic shape compared with the city as a whole.
Neighborhood
The school sits in the Astoria-Ditmars-Steinway area of western Queens, a working- and middle-class neighborhood where median household income is roughly $94,000 and just over half of adults hold a bachelor's degree. It's a residential, family-oriented stretch of Queens with a strong Greek and immigrant history and a low-ish poverty rate for the borough.
The Astoria-Ditmars Blvd stop on the N and W lines is about a seven-minute walk, with the Astoria Blvd N/W stop roughly fifteen minutes on foot for a longer commute option.
Notable Programs
What Parents Are Saying
Mixed reviews with a 4.2/5 rating. Parents praise academic rigor, diverse clubs/sports, supportive teachers, and effective COVID protocols. Criticisms include outdated facilities, temperature control issues, and some concerns about student vaping and administrative responsiveness.
Synthesized from public parent reviews · Apr 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is ST JOHN'S PREP SCHOOL a good school?
- Published quality ratings aren't available for ST JOHN'S PREP SCHOOL yet on Motley. It's a private school serving grades 9 to 12 in Astoria (North)-Ditmars-Steinway.
- What grades does ST JOHN'S PREP SCHOOL serve?
- ST JOHN'S PREP SCHOOL serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into ST JOHN'S PREP SCHOOL?
- ST JOHN'S PREP SCHOOL runs its own private admissions process — typically an application, a visit, and sometimes testing.
- Is ST JOHN'S PREP SCHOOL public, charter, or private?
- ST JOHN'S PREP SCHOOL is a private school.
- What neighborhood is ST JOHN'S PREP SCHOOL in?
- ST JOHN'S PREP SCHOOL is in Astoria (North)-Ditmars-Steinway, Queens.