Original Research by School Decision on Mcdonogh 35 Senior High School
McDonogh 35 Senior High School is a public charter high school in New Orleans, serving grades nine through twelve. It operates as a regular school within the city’s decentralized public school landscape, where charter schools are the predominant model. The school sits in the 70122 ZIP code, in the eastern part of New Orleans near the Industrial Canal.
The student body is large enough to offer a full high school program across all four grade levels. Enrollment is nearly entirely Black, with a small Hispanic share and even smaller White and multiracial populations. A very high share of students come from low-income households, as measured by federal free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. The data do not include counts of students with individualized education programs or English learners, so those populations cannot be described here.
New Orleans is a dense urban city-parish that functions as a major Gulf Coast port and commercial hub, with a tourism and hospitality economy that is amplified by Mardi Gras and other festivals. The city is also a growing film production center. The broader housing market in the school’s ZIP code shows typical home values near the Louisiana state average, well below the national norm, and rental costs that are moderate relative to national figures. Both home values and rents have seen slight declines over the past year. The city has experienced population shifts since Hurricane Katrina, with recent census estimates showing a modest decrease from 2020 levels. Concerns about gentrification and displacement have been part of the post-Katrina redevelopment conversation.
State assessment results and a four-year graduation rate are not available in the data used for this profile. Without those metrics, it is not possible to characterize McDonogh 35’s academic performance or its rate of students completing high school on time. A parent or guardian seeking this information would need to consult the school directly or look to the Louisiana Department of Education’s public reports for the most recent testing and graduation figures. Similarly, data on course offerings, Advanced Placement or dual-enrollment programs, discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, and staffing ratios were not present in the assembled data.
The comparison set used here places McDonogh 35 among districts in Orleans Parish, but because the core academic metrics were missing, no relative positioning against those districts was made.
What can be said with the available information: McDonogh 35 Senior High School is an urban charter high school serving a predominantly Black student population, with a high concentration of economic need. The city it sits in is vibrant and economically diverse, with a housing market that is attainable relative to national benchmarks. The school’s academic record, however, is not documented in the data reviewed, leaving an important gap that families would want to fill through direct inquiry.
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