The 1970s
Through the ’70s, the school continued to be a primary outreach of the church. By 1974-75, St. John’s Episcopal School extended through fifth grade. Enrollment was approximately 170 students. With Fr. Maceo's leadership, the church Vestry formed a School Board to govern and guide the expanding school. The School Board began to consider the future of the institution as much as its day-to-day operations. In 1978, the Board began investigating the need for incorporating the school as a separate non-profit entity in preparation for seeking accreditation with the Texas Education Agency and the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest.
About the same time, parishioner, mother and educator Grace Cook returned to the classroom to teach kindergarten. Mrs. Cook’s daughter, Cindy (’59), was among the first students at St. John’s. Siblings Sharon (’62), Ernest (’63) and Staci (’77) followed behind. When Staci finished her time at St. John’s, Mrs. Cook remained to lead it through its next stage of development.