Using LA GATOR at Visitation of Our Lady School
LA GATOR can pay tuition at Visitation of Our Lady School because the school is on the Louisiana Department of Education's 2025-26 list of BESE-approved nonpublic schools (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 1976.
On that list the school reported 307 K-12 students plus 58 in pre-K, which makes it the 48th-largest of 114 approved schools in the eight-parish area.
By enrollment it is the 5th of 14 approved schools on the West Bank; the nearest comparable schools with the same grade span and affiliation in the area are Immaculate Conception School, St. Cletus School, St. Anthony School. Its pre-K program (58 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 337 students, 23 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio of about 14.7 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
West Bank parish schools are among the most affordable approved schools in the metro at the parishioner rate, which puts the $7,626 award within reach of the full bill for qualifying families once an STO scholarship is added. Confirm the rate and the fees billed through Odyssey.
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Grade 8 options after Visitation of Our Lady 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:
- Academy of Our Lady (Marrero, grades 8-12, all-girls, about 3 mi)
- Archbishop Shaw High School (Marrero, grades 8-12, all-boys, about 3 mi)
- Concordia Lutheran School (Marrero, grades K-8, about 3 mi)
- St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory School (New Orleans, grades 8-12, all-girls, about 5 mi)
- École Bilingue de la Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans, grades PK-8, about 5 mi)
- St. George's Episcopal School (New Orleans, grades PK-8, about 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knights Academy and High School | Christian | 5-12 | 1.9 mi | ✓ |
| Academy of Our Lady | Catholic | 8-12 | 2.6 mi | ✓ |
| Archbishop Shaw High School | Catholic | 8-12 | 2.8 mi | ✓ |
| Concordia Lutheran School | Lutheran (ELCA) | K-8 | 3.0 mi | ✓ |
| Conquering Word Christian Academy | Christian | PK-12 | 3.0 mi | ✓ |
| Immaculate Conception School | Catholic | PK-7 | 3.4 mi | ✓ |
Straight-line distance between campus coordinates.