Using LA GATOR at Metairie Park Country Day School
The state classifies Metairie Park Country Day 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 705 K-12 students plus 46 in pre-K, which makes it the 12th-largest of 114 approved schools in the eight-parish area.
By enrollment it is the 3rd of 31 approved schools on Jefferson's east bank; the nearest comparable schools with the same grade span and affiliation in the area are Ecole Classique. Its pre-K program (46 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.
The federal Private School Survey (2023-24) recorded 678 students, 98.8 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio of about 6.9 to 1. The school reports membership in National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), State/regional independent school association (e.g., ISAS).
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
Independent schools publish tuition and run need-based aid through FACTS or a similar service. Ask where LA GATOR sits in that calculation; at the larger campuses the account covers a fraction of tuition and aid does the heavy lifting.
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Francis Xavier School | Catholic | PK-7 | 0.2 mi | ✓ |
| St. Catherine of Siena School | Catholic | PK-7 | 0.7 mi | ✓ |
| Christian Brothers School | Catholic | PK-7 | 1.5 mi | ✓ |
| St. Angela Merici School | Catholic | PK-7 | 1.7 mi | ✓ |
| Archbishop Rummel High School | Catholic | 8-12 | 1.7 mi | ✓ |
| Jesuit High School | Catholic | 8-12 | 1.8 mi | ✓ |
Straight-line distance between campus coordinates.