Designed by Charles Healey Day, the Standard J series was derived from the H series and Sloan biplanes. The first model of the series was the SJ, which first flew in 1916 under the power of a four-cylinder Hall-Scott A-7 engine. Similar in overall appearance to the more successful Curtiss JN 'Jenny', the Standard SJ differed by having slightly swept-back wings and a small wheel forward of the main undercarriage to prevent nosing over. Wheel-type controls were fitted.

When the US entered World War I, the SJ was ordered into large-scale production to meet the demands of pilot training. Simultaneously, the Standard company developed the JR, with a six-cylinder Hall-Scott A-5 engine, of which the Army bought only six. The next version was the J-1, which was to become the most numerous. This introduced stick control and deleted the nose-over wheel. In service, the engine proved unreliable and use of the J-1 diminished as sufficient Curtiss 'Jennies' became available.

The final service variant was the JR-1B, which was a revised JR with equal-span wings, the lower of which was mounted below the fuselage. Only six were purchased, and used briefly after the war as mailplanes.