Andrew Jackson Fundamental Magnet High School

Andrew Jackson Fundamental Magnet High School, commonly nicknamed "A.J.", "Andrew Jackson", or "Andrew Jackson High School", was a public magnet high school in Chalmette in the area of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is a part of St. Bernard Parish Public Schools.HistoryAndrew Jackson High School opened as an all-girls school in the fall of 1966, along with P.G.T. Beauregard High School, to meet the demands of more classrooms to house the growing population of St. Bernard Parish, the same year that both Chalmette High School and St. Bernard High School opened as all-boy schools. The solution to the problem of having four co-ed high schools was to segregate by sex. This would cut costs drastically since the parish would only have to build and maintain two stadiums instead of four. Andrew Jackson High School and P.G.T. Beauregard High School served girls for the next twenty two years, and they became the "sister" schools to Chalmette and St. Bernard respectively.The decision to go back to co-ed status in 1989 brought about a mild decline in the school. More students were choosing to attend Andrew Jackson, a magnet school that served the entire parish, rather than just the upper end. Unlike like Chalmette and St. Bernard high schools, Andrew Jackson required an entrance examination, interview, or audition. Like other magnet schools, Andrew Jackson selected all students who applied or used a lottery system, or a system combining some elements of competitive entrance and a lottery.Pre-Katrina (1965-2005)Andrew Jackson Fundamental Magnet High School formerly held a student capacity of about 1,075 students. The last graduating class before Hurricane Katrina took place at the Frederick J. Sigur Civic Center on May 19, 2005.