History

St. Mary's School opened its doors on Chartres Street in New Orleans under the leadership of Mother Josephine Charles in December of 1867.   In June 1878, Victoria Jourdan became the first graduate. 

St. Mary's School moved from Chartres Street to the historic Quadroon Ballroom at 717 Orleans Avenue in 1881 and became St. Mary's Academy, the first Catholic secondary school for Colored girls in New Orleans. Mother Magdalen Alpaugh served as Principal.

The curriculum included:  religion, English, rhetoric, algebra, higher mathematics, natural philosophy, world history, chemistry, bookkeeping and French.  Students were offered the following electives:  music [vocal and instrumental, drawing and painting on silk and linen, and the making of tapestry, wax and worsted flowers.

During the next twenty-one years, the principalship was held in succession by Sr. Catherine, Sr. Dominica, Sr. Thomas, Sr. Dolores, Sr. Sebastian, Sr. Ann, and Sr. Des Anges.  Boarders were attracted to St. Mary's from all the southern states, Nicaragua, British Honduras [ Belize] Panama, and Spanish Honduras.  By the early 1900s the enrollment was over two hundred.

After the opening of Xavier Preparatory, another secondary school for Colored students, in 1915, the enrollment began to steadily decrease until by 1930 there were only 68 students from first through eleventh grades.

In 1930 Mother Elizabeth gave her full attention to the rebuilding of St. Mary's Academy.  She appointed a new faculty of certified Sisters, adopted the state course of studies, renovated and added a sewing room and home economics lab.  In 1932 she applied for State approval. The enrollment doubled and after a visitation by the state official, the school became state accredited.  Sister M. Boniface Adams was the principal during this period.

In 1933 St. Mary's Academy ranked first in the state after scoring highest on the state-approved graduation examinations.  During this time, the Mothers' Club [PTA] was reorganized, the school paper, Excelsior, and the yearbook, Maris Stella were begun.  The school at this time was under the leadership of Sr. M. Francis Borgia. The enrollment continued to increase and other clubs and activities expanded the school's program.

During the year 1947 Sr. Esperance Collins led the school to another milestone in our history;  the entrance of St. Mary's Academy into the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS.)  This initiated the steady progress of SMA which continued through the guidance of the following principals:

Sr. Rosetta Butler, Sr. Reginald Carter (Jean Carter), Sr. Helena Jones

From 1962 - 1990, the school was led by Sr. Mary Demetria Williams. During this time, the Sisters of the Holy Family again devoted full attention to St. Mary's Academy, as they were now ready to move the school from the French Quarter location at 717 Orleans Street to the Chef Menteur property [pictured above] where the new Motherhouse was built.  

For one year, classes were held at the old St. Louis Cathedral School on St. Ann Street. In September 1965 the students began occupying the new building at 6905 Chef Menteur Boulevard.

The school continues to expand expanded its curriculum as new courses are introduced into high school curricula. The principals during these years of tremendous growth were Sr. M. Demetria Williams [1962-1990]' Sr. Leona Bruner [1990-1999] and Sr. Richard Francis Daigle [1999-2002]

The 2002-2003 school year began with a new type of leadership. For the first time a president was assigned. The new administrative leadership included President Sr. Greta Jupiter; Principal Sr. Jennie Louise Jones; and Assistant Principals, Sr. Judith Therese Barial and Sr. Clare of Assisi Pierre.

In August 2004, the Administrative Team made another milestone in history by appointing  Cheryl Ross-Brown, '78 as SMA's first lay assistant principal, following the assignment of Sr. Judith Therese to Delille Academy in Belize. The Middle School Coordinator, Sr. Patricia Rogers, O.P. also became a member of the Administrative Team.

In August 2005, SMA suffered a devastating blow when the City of New Orleans was hit by Hurricane Katrina. Inundated by 5-6 ft of water and sludge, the campus was left virtually uninhabitable.

Joining forces with St. Augustine High School and Xavier Preparatory High School as part of the MAX SCHOOL, St. Mary's held classes on the campus of Xavier Prep from January 2006-May 2006.

In August of 2006, as part of a generous gift from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, St. Mary's Academy moved its classes to the former St. James Major School, located at 3774 Gentilly Blvd. The school also expanded its curriculum to offer classes for Pre-k-4 through 5th grades to help accommodate students and families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The elementary and middle schools became co-educational while the high school continued its legacy as an all-girls private school. Operating with 620 students, the school successfully accommodated many of the city's displaced youth.

In the fall of 2007, St. Mary's Academy returned to its Chef Menteur Highway campus. State-of the-art modular buildings house students in Pre-k-3 through 12th grades while the rebuilding of the permanent campus takes place.