Using LA GATOR at Lakeside Christian Academy
LA GATOR can pay tuition at Lakeside Christian Academy because the school is on the Louisiana Department of Education's 2025-26 list of BESE-approved nonpublic schools (non-accredited). Approval is a condition of the program, not a guarantee the school has registered for the year, so confirm that with the office. Its Brumfield v. Dodd nondiscrimination approval, required for any state-funded placement, dates from 2017.
It was also on the state's 2024-25 list of schools taking Tuition Donation Credit scholarships. For a family at or below 250% of the poverty line that matters: since Act 403, an STO award from ACE, Arete, Aspiring Scholars or the New Orleans-based Son of a Saint can be added on top of LA GATOR, up to the school's actual tuition and fees.
Enough former Louisiana Scholarship Program students were tested here for the state to publish a 2025 Scholarship Cohort Index of 35.9 (K-8 assessment index 14.6, progress index 72.7). It is calculated like a public school performance score, for scholarship students only.
The federal Private School Survey (2023-24) recorded 154 students, 27 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio of about 5.7 to 1.
Kindergarten to grade 12 is 13 years at this school. Funded every year at 2026-27 levels, that is roughly $68,159 at the standard amount or $99,138 at the 250%-of-poverty amount, before any STO scholarship. Awards are reset annually and depend on the appropriation, so use it for planning, not budgeting. Pre-K years aren't eligible; the account starts at age 5.
Covering the rest
Church-affiliated schools often discount tuition for member families and staff. Confirm those discounts survive when part of the bill is paid from the account, and ask which fees (registration, technology, books, uniforms) the school bills through Odyssey.
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Ask the admissions office
- Is the school registered with Odyssey as a LA GATOR school for 2026-27, and does it bill tuition quarterly to match the deposits?
- What is the all-in cost for this grade, including fees, and what does a family at the $5,243 and $7,626 levels owe after the account?
- Do you take STO scholarships (ACE, Arete, Aspiring Scholars, Son of a Saint)? Which is applied first, LA GATOR or the STO award?
- Does a PK-4 seat guarantee a kindergarten seat, which is when the account can start?
Nearest private schools
| School | Type | Grades | Distance | BESE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our Lady of Lourdes School | Catholic | PK-7 | 0.6 mi | ✓ |
| First Baptist Christian School | Baptist | 1-12 | 0.8 mi | ✓ |
| Children's College | Independent | PK-1 | 2.3 mi | ✓ |
| St. Margaret Mary School | Catholic | PK-7 | 2.6 mi | ✓ |
| Pope John Paul II High School | Catholic | 8-12 | 3.1 mi | ✓ |
| Harvest Christian Academy | Christian | 3-12 | 3.8 mi | — |
Straight-line distance between campus coordinates.