About

Our Mission

St. Scholastica Academy is a Catholic, all-girls, college-preparatory high school located in Covington, Louisiana. Founded in 1903, SSA perpetuates the Benedictine tradition of balancing prayer, work, study and community in developing adolescent girls into Christian women grounded in the Gospel values of the Catholic faith.

Pope St. Gregory the Great

She could do more because she loved more.

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Who Are We?

In 1903, an order of Benedictine Sisters founded Saint Scholastica Academy in Covington, Louisiana, establishing what was to become the only all-girls, Catholic, college preparatory high school located on the north shore of New Orleans. Today, Saint Scholastica Academy, or SSA, continues to follow the Benedictine tradition of balancing prayer, work, study, and community, as the girls of SSA strive to do more because they love more.
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SSA provides challenging academic programs for young women in a Catholic environment. Our faculty, composed of dedicated secondary teaching professionals, many of which hold master's degrees or higher, are committed to empowering approximately 600 girls each year as they develop qualities of leadership, self-confidence, motivation, and a heart for service. As a college-preparatory school, SSA consciously strives to provide an atmosphere for intellectual growth in which our girls are given opportunities to become independent, critical thinkers, capable of contributing to society today and in the future.

As a Catholic school, SSA teaches the basic truths of the Catholic faith and fosters the student’s moral development based on Gospel values. The faculty, staff, and student body at SSA create a Christ-centered community of mutual respect, empathy, and care. St. Scholastica Academy sees itself as having a responsibility to the community at large. Educated to an awareness of the needs of others, students are actively encouraged to respond generously as responsible members of the community.

Saint Scholastica Academy is a two-time U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence recipient, is accredited by Cognia STEM, and in 2023 received the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award. In addition, SSA was named 2023 Best High School in the “Northshore’s Best” Edition of Sophisticated Woman Magazine.

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Where Did We Come From?

Saint Scholastica Academy is the only all-girls, Catholic high school on the north shore of New Orleans. When our school was founded in 1903 by the Benedictine Sisters, they chose Saint Scholastica as our patroness.
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Saint Scholastica and her twin brother Saint Benedict, known for establishing the Benedictine order and monasteries that bear his name, lived in the 5th century in Norcia, Italy. Saint Scholastica consecrated herself to God at an early age. Later, she founded and governed a monastery of nuns run by Saint Benedict and the Benedictines. The Benedictine motto ora et labora (pray and work) was woven throughout her daily life. She found it the best way to keep her mind occupied with God even though her duties as abbess kept her busy most of the day. Pope Gregory explained that, although Benedict had set out a rule of life for these holy women, it was Scholastica’s duty to see that they kept it faithfully, and cheerfully and regarded it as the best means for their sanctification.

Each year, Benedict and Scholastica met to discuss their way of life and the various spiritual challenges in the two religious houses. At the end of what proved to be their last visit, Scholastica asked her brother to stay the night. Benedict, an obedient monk who needed to return to his monastery, would not hear of such a thing. Legend has it that Scholastica folded her hands in prayer. When she looked up a minute later, lightning flashed in the sky, thunder roared ominously, and such a downpour of rain began that Benedict and his monks could not safely leave the house. Realizing what had happened, Benedict reproached her: "What have you done, my sister?” Scholastica answered simply, "I asked a favor of you, and you refused to listen to me. So I asked my God, and He, more generous than you, granted my request.” Days later, Benedict looked toward the convent as he was praying and saw a white dove circling the building, finally disappearing into the blue. He knew this meant that his sister had died and her soul had gone to heaven, the white dove symbolizing her purity, hope, and love.

St. Scholastica demonstrated great faith and love throughout her life which allowed her to impact the lives of those around her. As Saint Gregory the Great said of Saint Scholastica, "She could do more because she loved more.”

Centuries later, on September 4, 1903, with 17 boarders and 60 day students, the Angelus Bell rang for the first time, establishing Saint Scholastica Academy. Students today can hear this same bell, the bell which was rung in 1910 when the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes was dedicated, during the daily Angelus prayer, Mass, and other events and feasts.

Over the past 120 years, SSA has seen many changes. Boarders have come and gone, buildings have been built, torn down, and rebuilt, traditions have been established, uniforms have changed, but the purpose and mission have remained steadfast. Today, as SSA now celebrates over 120 years of educating young women in the Benedictine tradition of prayer, work, study, and community, we can proudly say that the students of Saint Scholastica Academy can “do more because they love more”.

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Why All Girls?

The International Coalition of Girls’ Schools states, “Whether a girl wants to be an astronaut, ambassador, author, or attorney, she needs to know—not just think, but really know, deep down—that there’s nothing that can stand in her way. That’s the incredibly important message girls’ schools send to girls each and every day.” In an all-girls school, girls have the opportunity to explore who they are and who they are to become in a safe space, free from the societal pressures of a complex and rapidly changing world. Students in girls’ schools can find their voice and be heard. Students in all girls’ schools describe their experiences as life-changing, demanding, exciting, thought-provoking, and empowering. They are empowered to become their best selves through challenging coursework, leadership opportunities, and interest groups. They are more likely to have a multitude of experiences that support their learning. They are motivated, challenged, and actively engaged in their learning.
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“Girls’ school students are more likely than their female peers at coeducational schools to experience an environment that welcomes an open and safe exchange of ideas. Nearly 87% of girls’ school students feel their opinions are respected at their school compared to only 58% of girls at coeducational schools.”
—Dr. Richard A. Holmgren, Allegheny College, Steeped in Learning: The Student Experience at All-Girls Schools

“Students at girls’ schools have higher aspirations and greater motivation than their female peers at coeducational schools. 99% of students at girls’ schools expect to earn a four-year degree. More than 2/3 expect to earn a graduate or professional degree.”
- Dr. Richard A. Holmgren, Allegheny College, Steeped in Learning: The Student Experience at All-Girls Schools

Graduates of girls’ schools reflect a significant percentage of women in leadership positions in their professions, communities, public service, industry, and academia. They develop the grit and self-confidence to confidently enter a global society and make significant contributions. Simply put, graduates of girls’ schools make a difference.

“Nearly half of all women graduating from single-sex schools rate their public speaking ability as high compared to only 39% of women graduates from coeducational schools. A similar differential exists for writing abilities: 64% of girls’ school graduates assess their writing as high (compared to 59%).”
—Dr. Linda Sax, UCLA, Women Graduates of Single-Sex and Coeducational High Schools: Differences in their Characteristics and the Transition to College
Beyond the classroom, it has been found that girls’ school students foster deeper and more meaningful relationships with their peers, their sisters, than they would at coeducational schools. Dr. Katherine van Wormer, an alumna of an all-girls school in New Orleans, realized that her time at a girls’ school had a profound impact on her life. “It took me years to work all of this out, to discover why a school designed by women and devoted exclusively to girls and young women is so special. The beauty of McGehee’s and other small girls’ schools is that the loyalties and ties are deep and long-lasting, in fact, lifelong. And in today’s fast-paced, high-pressured world, such close friendships are everything.”

Experience the sisterhood at SSA and empower your girl to make a difference.