Using LA GATOR at St. Philip Neri School
The state classifies St. Philip Neri School 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 496 K-12 students plus 69 in pre-K, which makes it the 28th-largest of 114 approved schools in the eight-parish area.
By enrollment it is the 7th of 31 approved schools on Jefferson's east bank; the nearest comparable schools with the same grade span and affiliation in the area are St. Catherine of Siena School, St. Ann School, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School. Its pre-K program (69 children) is the usual route into kindergarten here, which is the first year LA GATOR can pay.
The school did not appear on the 2024-25 Tuition Donation Credit list, so an STO scholarship may not be usable here unless it has since joined. LA GATOR itself is unaffected.
The federal Private School Survey (2023-24) recorded 505 students, 32 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio of about 15.8 to 1. The school reports membership in National Catholic Educational Association.
Kindergarten to grade 7 is 8 years at this school. Funded every year at 2026-27 levels, that is roughly $41,944 at the standard amount or $61,008 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. After grade 7, the award moves with your child to an approved high school.
Covering the rest
Metairie, Kenner and River Ridge parish schools tend to have the largest enrollments and the most practice with scholarship billing. Ask for the parishioner rate, the sibling discount, and whether the business office bills Odyssey quarterly; then layer an STO award or archdiocesan assistance on the balance.
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Grade 8 options after St. Philip Neri School
New Orleans high schools admit at grade 8, so families here apply in the fall of 7th grade. Approved schools serving grade 8, nearest first:
- Atonement Lutheran School (Metairie, grades PK-8, about 0 mi)
- Archbishop Chapelle High School (Metairie, grades 8-12, all-girls, about 1 mi)
- Memorial Baptist School (Metairie, grades PK-8, about 1 mi)
- Torah Academy (Metairie, grades PK-8, about 1 mi)
- Ecole Classique (Metairie, grades PK-12, about 1 mi)
- Islamic School of Greater New Orleans (Kenner, grades PK-8, about 1 mi)
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?
- Which high schools do your 7th graders move on to, and do you help with placement test preparation?
- Does a PK-4 seat guarantee a kindergarten seat, which is when the account can start?
Nearest private schools
| School | Type | Grades | Distance | BESE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atonement Lutheran School | Lutheran (Missouri Synod) | PK-8 | 0.2 mi | ✓ |
| Archbishop Chapelle High School | Catholic | 8-12 | 0.6 mi | ✓ |
| Memorial Baptist School | Baptist | PK-8 | 0.7 mi | ✓ |
| Torah Academy | Other faith | PK-8 | 0.9 mi | ✓ |
| Ecole Classique | Independent | PK-12 | 1.0 mi | ✓ |
| Greater New Orleans Christian Academy | Seventh-day Adventist | PK-10 | 1.0 mi | — |
Straight-line distance between campus coordinates.