The school, founded by Louise S. McGehee, opened in September 1912 at 1439 Louisiana Avenue with 30 students. It was originally called '''Mrs. Chapman's School'''. It later moved into a mansion in the
Garden District. In 1929, the school moved to the current location at 2343 Prytania Street. and became a corporation known as the Louise S. McGehee School. In the fall of 1929, there were 209 students and classes began with the fifth grade. The 1938
Works Progress Administration New Orleans City Guide described it as one of the most popular private schools in New Orleans. In the 1950s, the school added grades Kindergarten through fourth grade. In 1962, a new Lower School building was dedicated for Kindergarten through Sixth Grade and in 1973, the first Pre-Kindergarten class started at the school. According to
Eli N. Evans' 1973 autobiography
The Provincials, in its early history McGehee was where the New Orleans "elite" sent their children to "shield" them from minorities. Historically, many graduates of McGehee matriculated to
H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College of
Tulane University. In 1973 Evans described the school as "[t]he
debutante West Point, the playing fields of
Eton, the New Orleans version of
Choate-
Chapin-
Cordon Bleu all rolled into one". Before
Hurricane Katrina, the school had about 500 students. After Katrina hit in August 2005, the school resumed classes in October, and by November 2005 the school was down to about half of its pre-Katrina enrollment. As of 2024, enrollment was approximately 450 students. ==Enrollment==