Using LA GATOR at Mary Queen of Peace Catholic School
Mary Queen of Peace Catholic School holds state approval for 2025-26: it appears on the BESE-approved nonpublic school list as accredited. That is what makes it eligible to receive LA GATOR tuition payments through Odyssey, once the school registers for the year. Its Brumfield v. Dodd nondiscrimination approval, required for any state-funded placement, dates from 1997.
On that list the school reported 352 K-12 students plus 67 in pre-K, which makes it the 42nd-largest of 114 approved schools in the eight-parish area.
By enrollment it is the 10th of 17 approved schools on the Northshore; the nearest comparable schools with the same grade span and affiliation in the area are St. Peter Catholic School (Covington), Our Lady of the Lake School, St. Margaret Mary School. Its pre-K program (67 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 350 students, 18.8 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio of about 18.6 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
St. Tammany parish schools charge a parishioner rate that sits closer to the award than Orleans or Metairie schools do. Ask about it first, then about sibling discounts and whether archdiocesan assistance or an STO award covers the remainder.
Check my funding for this school →
Grade 8 options after Mary Queen of Peace Catholic 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:
- Northlake Christian School (Covington, grades PK-12, about 4 mi)
- Christ Episcopal School (Covington, grades PK-12, about 4 mi)
- Saint Paul's School (Covington, grades 8-12, all-boys, about 5 mi)
- St. Scholastica Academy (Covington, grades 8-12, all-girls, about 6 mi)
- Archbishop Hannan High School (Covington, grades 8-12, about 7 mi)
- First Baptist Christian School (Slidell, grades 1-12, about 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedarwood School | Independent | PK-7 | 1.0 mi | ✓ |
| Our Lady of the Lake School | Catholic | PK-7 | 3.0 mi | ✓ |
| Northlake Christian School | Christian | PK-12 | 3.9 mi | ✓ |
| Christ Episcopal School | Episcopal | PK-12 | 4.1 mi | ✓ |
| Saint Paul's School | Catholic | 8-12 | 5.2 mi | ✓ |
| Chesterton Academy of Divine Mercy | Catholic | 8-9 | 5.3 mi | — |
Straight-line distance between campus coordinates.