Using LA GATOR at St. Mary's Academy
The state classifies St. Mary's Academy as accredited on its 2025-26 BESE approval list, which is the gate for LA GATOR tuition. Louisiana doesn't publish which approved schools signed up with Odyssey in a given year, so ask the school directly. Its Brumfield v. Dodd nondiscrimination approval, required for any state-funded placement, dates from 1976.
On that list the school reported 469 K-12 students plus 43 in pre-K, which makes it the 32nd-largest of 114 approved schools in the eight-parish area. St. Mary's Academy is a girls' school from pre-K through grade 12 and also enrolls boys in grades 4-7.
By enrollment it is the 13th of 42 approved schools within Orleans Parish; the nearest comparable schools with the same grade span and affiliation in the area are Jesuit High School, Mount Carmel Academy, Brother Martin High School. Its pre-K program (43 children) is the usual route into kindergarten here, which is the first year LA GATOR can pay.
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 56.8 (K-8 assessment index 37.7, progress index 65.4). It is calculated like a public school performance score, for scholarship students only.
The federal Private School Survey (2023-24) recorded 503 students, 39.1 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio of about 12.9 to 1. The school reports membership in National Catholic Educational Association.
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
Orleans Parish parish schools quote a parishioner rate and a non-parishioner rate; the gap can be larger than at suburban schools, so register with the parish first. Then ask how the school bills LA GATOR through Odyssey and whether archdiocesan tuition assistance or an STO award can take the rest.
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Adventist Academy | Seventh-day Adventist | K-8 | 1.3 mi | ✓ |
| St. Benedict the Moor School | Catholic | PK-4 | 1.8 mi | ✓ |
| Lake Castle Private School | Independent | PK-8 | 1.9 mi | — |
| Resurrection of Our Lord School | Catholic | PK-7 | 2.2 mi | ✓ |
| Brother Martin High School | Catholic | 8-12 | 3.2 mi | ✓ |
| Light City Christian Academy | Christian | K-12 | 3.8 mi | ✓ |
Straight-line distance between campus coordinates.