The Mary Louis Academy Admissions Profile for Parents

Founded in 1936, Mary Louis Academy is a Catholic college preparatory school for young women located in Jamaica Estates, New York. It was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood and still holds true to their founding philosophy of unity, reconciliation, and all-inclusive love to achieve intellectual, social and spiritual growth.

This Roman Catholic-based school holds the distinction of being one of the top 20% of private schools in New York and hosts approximately 726 students and 60 teachers. Below, we’ll give you as much information as possible to help you determine if admission to The Mary Louis Academy would be a good fit for your daughter.

The Mary Louis Academy Quick Facts

Percentage of TMLA students accepted to college	100%
Percentage of students taking honors courses	65%
Percentage of students graduating with Advanced Designation	99%
Yearly Tuition	$9,300
Percentage of students receiving merit-based scholarships for college	86%
Percentage of students receiving financial aid	40%
Number of clubs and organizations	32
Number of sports and athletic teams	29
Student to teacher ratio	13:1
Average class size	26
Religious foundation	Roman Catholic, Sisters of St. Joseph
Student body	All-girls
Average SAT score	1200
Average ACT score	27
The Mary Louis Academy Admissions Exam	TACHS or CHSEE
TACHS Choice Ranking	Must be placed first on TACHS for scholarship consideration Can be placed 3rd for admission
The Mary Louis Academy Scholarship Exam	Separate scholarship exam January 5, 20201 (early January) https://www.tmla.org/admissions/scholarships/
Application Deadline	November 29, 2020 (late November)
The Mary Louis Academy Interview	Recommended
Website	https://www.tmla.org/
Test Dates, Open House Dates, Information Session Dates	Open House October 18, 2020 – https://www.tmla.org/calendar
Application Process	https://www.tmla.org/admissions/application-process/

 

 Mary Louis Academy Scholarship Offerings and Financial Information

Tuition is $9,300 and can be paid either as a full, upfront payment (with a discount of $200) or over several payment options. Students are able to split their tuition between four payments or ten payments, with the ten payment option including a premium of $100. New student registration fees and annual fees are each $450. This covers expenses such as textbooks, workbooks, guest speakers, and testing.  There are required fundraising activities for students, such as a Walk-a-Thon. These activities help to cover the cost of each student’s education that standard tuition and fees do not.

TMLA Scholarships

There are two types of scholarships offered for students who require financial assistance: an academic scholarship and a CSJ Scholar Incentive.

The academic scholarship requires TMLA to be selected as the applicants’ first choice on their TACHS or CHSEE. The applicant must then also take the TMLA Scholarship Examination. Once again, transcripts are reviewed. An interview is recommended.

Students applying for the CSJ Scholar Incentive Award must showcase how they are committed to service in their neighborhood. This must be corroborated by an adult supervisor through evaluation of activities and involvement. Students must also complete an application, rank TMLA as their first choice on the TACHS or CHSEE, and prove satisfactory school records.

The school states that they provide the most scholarships to girls within the diocese with over $2.3 million awarded. This is based on full and partial scholarships for academics and examinations and does not include additional scholarships and awards for students earning the CSJ Scholar Incentive Award.

Approximately 40% of students receive financial assistance of some sort, with the average amount approximately $3,000. More information on how to apply and earn scholarships is toward the bottom of the page.

You may also want to consider other excellent all-girls high schools in the NYC area, such as St. Joseph Hill Academy in Staten Island, Convent of the Sacred Heart High School, Marymount High School in Manhattan, or Fontbonne Hall Academy in Brooklyn.

Mary Louis Academy Academics

Considered one of the most highly regarded college preparatory schools in the nation, The Mary Louis Academy focuses on academic achievement. Most of their students earn the NY State Regents diploma with Advanced Designation. This diploma means that students have completed additional courses over and above the standard required.

Where students must complete 22 units of credits with four Regents exams and one Pathway to receive a Local or Regents diploma they must complete more to receive the Advanced Designation. This designation requires an additional two math assessments and one science assessment, for a total of 7-8 Regents exams. They must also complete either 2 credits of LOTE and the Checkpoint B LOTE Exam, a 5-unit sequence in arts, or a 5-unit sequence in CTE (source).

There are a total of 17 Advanced Placement courses and several college and Honors level courses offered at TMLA as well.

Each student is allowed to create their individualized program to ensure they are reaching their maximum potential. This includes allowing all-Honors/Advanced Placement courses or a mix of Regents curriculum and advanced courses. They encourage a demanding schedule. They also permit students to enhance their course load with additional advanced courses as they go.

TMLA prides itself on small class sizes. Consequently, it has a student to teacher ratio of 13:1 as well as an average class size of 26. This allows each student to get the personalized education that they need. They are even entitled to start Honors and Advanced Placement courses in their freshman year, based on their academic record, teacher recommendations, and TACHS scores.

TMLA Course Offerings

The school offers five specialty curriculum options for students which include the following:

• Fine Arts Program – for students with a concentration in art and music.
• Music program – for students who wish to work with the recording studio.
• STEM – for students with a concentration in robotics, forensic science, and other areas of science, technology, engineering, and math.
• Science Research Program – for students seeking a professional mentor in their chosen area of study.
• The College Advantage Program – for students looking to take college courses with St. John’s University.

TMLA holds the distinction of being the first school in Queens to have SMART Boards in every classroom and to issue iPads to all new students. They even include computers throughout the school with high-speed internet and the ability for students to Skype/Zoom with fellow students throughout the country. They also have three modern science laboratories, a new recording studio, computer labs, art studio, and other high-level opportunities and technological advancements for students.

College Placement Program

Students who attend The Mary Louis Academy have a 100% success rate in attending college, and 86% of seniors receive one or more merit-based scholarships. The school places high emphasis on attending college and provides a full-time college counselor as well as school-sponsored trips to colleges around the East Coast.

The program to assist students with placement starts in the 9th grade when they meet with the college counselor to create their individualized college plan. Seminars are provided on different college topics as well as interviews being scheduled for colleges of the student’s choice.

Average Scores and Results

Students tend to move on to colleges such as St. John’s University, New York University, and Stony Brook University. The average SAT score for TMLA students is 1200, and the average ACT score is 27 (source).

Mary Louis Academy Student Life and Extracurriculars

The Mary Louis Academy is located on a five-acre campus on a hilltop in Queens. Arranged to look just like a college campus, the facility includes eight buildings consisting of student lounges, engineering labs, chapel, academic classrooms, art studios, and a spiritual retreat facility.

There are over 30 different clubs offered at TMLA, including activities like Adopt-A-Grandparent, cultural clubs, Book Club, CSJ Leadership Club, Future Business Leaders of America, Hellenic Society, Mariel, Medical Unlimited, and the National Honors Society. These are only a select few of the many options for students:

The Mary Louis Academy Famous Alumnae

Alumnae from TMLA have gone on to all areas of the workforce and include the following:

• Two justices on the New York Supreme Court
• Chief of staff for a US vice president
• Professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School
• Director of neuroscience at Novartis Pharmaceuticals
• Assistant Secretaries of State and Commerce for the US.
• Winners of the National Book Award and Newbery Medal
• A Fulbright/Guggenheim-recognized sculptor
• Executive vice president of Twentieth Century Fox
• An author of the Star Wars prequels

In addition, TMLA graduates have achieved many firsts, including being the first woman:

• president of a major television network (ABC)
• admitted to Harvard law school
• staff director in the US senate
• named partner of a major U.S. law firm

The Admissions Process for The Mary Louis Academy

 

TACHS Exam

Students must complete the TACHS/CHSEE Exam to gain entrance to TMLA. Admissions preference is given to those students who identify TMLA as their first choice school on the TACHS (using designation #16); however, all students who apply are considered. All standardized test scores and transcripts are included in their application from sixth through eighth grades.

Though an interview is not required to gain acceptance to the school, TMLA strongly recommends it. The selection process is based on academics as well as test scores and can be highly selective. Students must score above the 90th percentile on the TACHS to be considered for scholarships. For information about the current schedule regarding testing, financial aid applications and other events take a look at the Calendar page for TMLA.

One of the best ways to improve your score is to take practice tests. The student can become much more familiar with the material and format. This will eliminate surprises on test day. You can signup for an TACHS Practice Exam below between April and November. We start with slightly easier exams earlier than that to build students up to the difficulty. Check our full schedule of practice exams if no tests are available below. You may also be interested in a comparison between the TACHS and HSPT.

I work with students throughout their middle school careers to strengthen their academic skills. My students have earned over $12.8 million dollars in scholarships to NYC’s top private high schools. Full Breakdown of Scholarships 2022

TACHS Practice Exams April-October

TACHS Practice Exams and Initial Practice Exam for all High School Entrance Exams December-April

Mary Louis Academy Scholarship Exam

TMLA offers a service based scholarship mentioned above but to be considered for the academic scholarship requires that the student selects TMLA as her first choice on TACHS or CHSEE. The applicant must then also take the TMLA Scholarship Examination. Students have said that this exam is similar to the HSPT exam used for many other private high schools in NYC. Signup for a high school scholarship practice test here.

Mary Louis Academy Admissions Interview

Finally, TMLA’s high school admissions process gives strong preferences to girls who sit for an interview. Girls have the opportunity to show more than your daughter’s academics with which the admissions council are familiar. When applicable, we also help prepare students to accentuate their positives during an interview. You can schedule an online interview for TMLA here https://www.tmla.org/admissions-interviews/

We offer practice interviews for all high schools that require one.

Prep for The Mary Louis Academy Admissions Process

If you want to increase your daughter’s chances of joining the ranks of The Mary Louis Academy graduates who change the world, start her early with private or group tutoring sessions. Together we can prepare your student for success in high school and beyond. We can help your daughter get ready for The Mary Louis Academy admissions process, prep for the exams, and optimize her transcripts during their 6-8 grade years so that she gets the largest offer for the school she wants most. All material she will learn is cumulative and will allow a strong foundation to be built upon it.

As someone who earned scored in the 99th percentile on these exams and earned full scholarships to all high schools I applied, I know the preparation and commitment it takes to succeed in getting into a private high school. My tutoring team offers group and private tutoring sessions to boost your student’s academic performance and self-confidence for the rigorous private high school admissions season.

Individual and Group Tutoring Sessions

My students have attended some of the most prestigious schools in the country, including Regis, arguably the most prestigious high school in the country. I work with students to improve their academics to make sure they achieve success in their exams and beyond, even when they already excel. My students have also earned large scholarships to high-level schools, earning over $12.8 million in financial assistance through merit based scholarships with forty-two students passing the rigorous Regis exam.

John Zaborskis has helped 42 students pass the Regis exam and many others earn millions in scholarships since 2015.

Most students take a TACHS or HSPT practice test before their first lesson to identify areas of improvement and potentially group similar students with similar goals. We also use this to compare to future practice tests to determine what is working and what isn’t. Call, text, or email us to discuss the best options for your daughter including individual one-on-one tutoring or in a group. Online group sessions have rolling starts year round. You can view availability for groups and tutoring at Book Me.

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