Jesuit High School (New Orleans)

Jesuit High School (New Orleans)

Jesuit High School is an all-male college-preparatory Catholic high school in New Orleans, Louisiana. The school was founded in 1847. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Jesuit is a college preparatory school with more than 99% of graduates moving on to attend colleges and universities all across the country. Jesuit ranks among the top private schools in the nation in number of National Merit semifinalists. The class of 2011 received $24,493,877 in college scholarship offers, an average of $92,780 per student.

Selective admission is based relation to Jesuit on previous academic performances, recommendations of teachers, principal, and/or church parish pastor, promise of future development, and his desire to profit from the moral, spiritual, academic, and physical programs offered by the school. For students who qualify for admission, but are financially challenged, there is a financial assistance program. In the 2010-2011 academic year, Jesuit provided families with more than $425,000 in financial assistance. Tuition assistance is based on financial need only; Jesuit does not award academic or athletic scholarships.

In 1967, Jesuit became the first high school in the country to have a Marine Corps Junior ROTC program. For several years, this program was mandatory for all students; the combination of Jesuit priests and Marine Corps JROTC instructors made the school's disciplinary system unique among American high schools. Guest speakers such as Jay Thomas, authors Pat Conroy, Tony Hillerman, Sister Helen Prejean, Orson Scott Card, Dana Gioia, Chaim Potok, former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin, former New Orleans Mayor and alumnus Marc Morial, actor Jim Caviezel, theologian George Weigel, Jesuit Superior General Peter Hans Kolvenbach, ESPN announcer Mike Tirico, theologian and former U.S. Ambassador Michael Novak, and United States President William Howard Taft have addressed the student body. More recently, David F. Dixon is one of the very few non-alumni guest speakers invited to address students at Assembly.