St. John's College grew out of a select school which a Bri tish Jesuit, the Rev. Cassian Gillett, S.J., opened in Belize City in 1887. The small foundation grew steadily, and before the school was 10 years old, it became necessary to erect a new building near Holy Redeemer Cathedral. The new building was opened on February 3, 1896, and the name of the school was changed to St. John Berchmans College.

The College attracted an ever-increasing number of students from the outlying districts of British Honduras and from the neighboring republics, and it was not long before the Jesuits in charge of the school realized that they would have to move to more spacious quarters. Accordingly, a new College was built at Loyola Park, and classes were begun there on July 18, 1917. Fourteen years later, on September 10, 1931 the College was completely destroyed by a hurricane and tidal wave.

A few weeks after the destruction of Loyola Park, classes were opened in Belize City, again in a building adjoining Holy Redeemer Cathedral. There were 30 boys on the roll. By July 1952 the number had increased to 300, and it was necessary to move again. The Rev. John Knopp, S.J., Jesuit Superior at the time, chose a site on the north side of Belize City and named it Landivar after the Central American poet and scholar Rafael Landivar, S.J. On November 20, 1952, the first classroom buildings were blessed; shortly afterwards the Jesuit Community moved to Landivar.

Since then a modern campus has emerged from what was formerly a swampy site. The Fordyce Memorial Chapel is one of the most beautiful churches in the country; the Field House is one of the most spacious. Modern, well - equipped science laboratories provide excellent facilities for the study of the natural sciences. There are also new library facilities and a modern computer centre. A full Art Centre was dedicated in 2001. The College thus grows with the nation and makes it possible for students to keep abreast of the world’s educational progress.