New Orleans has 124 state-approved private schools. LA GATOR can pay at every one of them.
Louisiana's LA GATOR scholarship account puts $5,243 to $15,253 a year toward tuition at BESE-approved schools, and no metro has more of them than ours: the Archdiocese of New Orleans alone accounts for 66 of the 124 approved campuses from the West Bank to Slidell. This site tells you which schools qualify, what the account covers at each, and how to close the gap.
2026-27 account, at a glance
Paid quarterly into an Odyssey account. 16,993 Louisiana students were found eligible for 2026-27; funding stayed at $43.5 million, so new applicants are waitlisted. How the priority list works →
How New Orleans families use the account
Work out your amount
Income relative to 250% of the poverty line ($80,375 for a family of four), an IEP, or a protected Louisiana Scholarship Program amount decides whether you get $5,243, $7,626 or more. Two-minute check →
Pick an approved school
124 schools in our directory are on the state's BESE-approved list, from 46 parish and independent schools that end at grade 7 to 18 high schools that start at grade 8. Browse by area →
Fill the gap
At most New Orleans high schools the account is a down payment, not a full ride. STO scholarships, archdiocesan tuition assistance and school aid cover the rest. The stacking order →
Elementary ends at 7. High school starts at 8.
Unlike most of the country, Catholic elementary schools here run PK-7 and the high schools take students at 8th grade, usually after a placement test in the winter. LA GATOR moves with the student, so the award you use at a PK-7 school transfers to any approved 8-12 school that admits your child.
e.g. St. Catherine of Siena School, Christian Brothers School, St. Peter Catholic School (Covington)
e.g. Jesuit High School, Mount Carmel Academy, Brother Martin High School
124 approved schools across eight parishes
Orleans and Jefferson parishes have more BESE-approved nonpublic schools than any other parishes in Louisiana. Together the eight parishes of the Archdiocese of New Orleans enroll about 38,330 K-12 students at approved schools.
New Orleans proper: Uptown, Mid-City, Lakeview, Gentilly, New Orleans East and Algiers31East Bank
Jefferson Parish east bank: Metairie, Kenner, Harahan and River Ridge15West Bank
Jefferson's west bank and Plaquemines: Gretna, Marrero, Harvey, Terrytown, Westwego and Belle Chasse21Northshore
St. Tammany Parish: Covington, Mandeville, Abita Springs and Slidell7River Parishes
St. Charles and St. John the Baptist: Destrehan, LaPlace and Reserve1St. Bernard
St. Bernard Parish: Chalmette and Meraux3Washington Parish
Bogalusa and Franklinton
Counts are BESE-approved schools in our directory. The directory also lists 10 schools that are in the federal survey but not approved, so you know where the account can't be used.
66 Catholic schools, every one BESE-approved
The archdiocese is the largest private school system in Louisiana. Parish elementary schools charge a lower rate to registered, contributing parishioners; the high schools set their own tuition and most run their own need-based aid. 49 of the 66 were on the 2024-25 STO participating list.
Jesuit High School
New Orleans
School details →CatholicMount Carmel Academy
New Orleans
School details →CatholicBrother Martin High School
New Orleans
School details →CatholicSaint Paul's School
Covington
School details →CatholicHoly Cross School
New Orleans
School details →CatholicSt. Catherine of Siena School
Metairie
School details →
Where the account stops and the other money starts
A 9th grader at a New Orleans Catholic high school charging $12,500 tuition and $900 in required fees, from a household at or below 250% of the poverty line.
Illustration. Tuition and aid vary by school; STO awards depend on each organization's funding. A family at the $5,243 level and no STO award would owe $8,157 before school aid. How the pieces stack →
Two paths that families overlook
Students with a disability under IDEA get the largest award, up to $15,253, and New Orleans has two archdiocesan schools built for them, St. Michael Special School and St. Therese Academy. Families who don't want a full-time campus can spend the account on courses, tutoring and therapies through the Odyssey marketplace instead.
Special-needs funding → Home-based learning →
What New Orleans parents ask us
Which New Orleans schools take LA GATOR?
Any school on the state's BESE-approved nonpublic list that registers with Odyssey for the year. That's 124 schools in the eight parishes we cover, including every Archdiocese of New Orleans school, the Lutheran and Episcopal schools, Newman, Country Day and McGehee, and the Islamic and Jewish day schools. The state doesn't publish who registered each year, so confirm with the school office.
My child is in 7th grade at a parish school. Does the award follow her to high school?
Yes. LA GATOR belongs to the student, not the school, and renews each spring. Apply to the 8-12 schools in the fall, sit the placement test, and the account pays the new school once she's enrolled. The one exception: a protected Louisiana Scholarship Program amount ends when a student finishes the last grade of the school where she had the voucher.
Is $5,243 enough for a Catholic high school here?
Not by itself. New Orleans Catholic high school tuition mostly runs between $9,000 and $15,000 with fees, so the standard award covers roughly a third to a half. The $7,626 amount plus an STO scholarship can cover most of it for qualifying families. Parish elementary schools at the parishioner rate are closer to the award.
We live on the Northshore. Is anything different?
The program is the same; the school mix is different. St. Tammany has 21 approved schools, including four Catholic high schools, Christ Episcopal, Northlake Christian and several Montessori programs. We have a separate Northshore page.
What happens if we're on the waitlist?
You keep your place and can be funded when a seat opens or if the Legislature adds money. Meanwhile, apply for an STO scholarship (ACE, Arete, Aspiring Scholars or Son of a Saint, the New Orleans-based STO) and the school's own aid. Many families enroll on that basis and add LA GATOR when it comes through.
Can we use LA GATOR at a school that isn't BESE-approved, like Lake Castle?
Not for tuition. A school that isn't on the approval list can't be paid tuition from the account, though it could sell individual courses or services through the marketplace if it registers as a provider. Our directory marks each school's status.
Seats are the constraint, not demand
Nearly 17,000 eligible applications chased about $43.5 million statewide this year. In New Orleans the question is which approved schools have room. If you run a school, claim your listing and tell families what you charge. If you lead a church with classrooms, a BESE-approved K-7 school or a marketplace learning program is a realistic next step.
Partner with usWhat will your family's LA GATOR amount cover?
Answer five questions. An advisor calls back with your likely amount, the schools that take it, and what fills the gap. Free, no paperwork.