The New Orleans school funding blog
Reporting and how-tos on LA GATOR, STO scholarships and private school costs for families in New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, the Northshore and the River Parishes.
Your 7th grader's LA GATOR award and the move to a New Orleans high school
Parish schools end at 7th grade and high schools start at 8th. Here is how a New Orleans family carries a LA GATOR award through that transition without a gap, and the three dates that matter.
Read →October 11, 2026On the LA GATOR waitlist in New Orleans? Four things to do this year
Louisiana found nearly 17,000 students eligible for 2026-27 but kept funding flat at about $43.5 million. What a waitlisted New Orleans family can do now so the year isn't lost.
Read →October 11, 2026Two New Orleans schools built for students with disabilities, and the LA GATOR award that fits them
St. Michael Special School and St. Thérèse Academy for Exceptional Learners are BESE-approved. How the up-to-$15,253 IDEA award works at them, what the account pays for therapy, and which local programs it can't pay tuition at.
Read →October 11, 2026LA GATOR in the high school years: dual enrollment, the ACT and AP fees in New Orleans
At most New Orleans high schools the account is spent on tuition. But dual-enrollment courses at Delgado, UNO and Southeastern, ACT and SAT fees and AP exams are approved expenses too. When they fit, and when they don't.
Read →What 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.