LA GATOR at Lafayette Christian Academy
On the 2025-26 BESE-approved nonpublic list, Lafayette Christian Academy is classified non-accredited. Approval is what makes the school eligible for LA GATOR tuition at all; the yearly sign-up in Odyssey is separate and is worth confirming with the school before you budget on it. The school's Brumfield v. Dodd approval, which any school serving state-funded students needs, is dated 2008.
The state list shows 377 K-12 students, which puts it at number 20 by enrollment among the 49 approved schools in the eight parishes that reported a figure. The state lists this site code for grades 8-12 only. The federal survey record at the same name covers the school as a whole, pre-K through 12, which is why its federal enrollment is much larger.
Students arrive here at grade 8, so the account moves with them from another school. The nearest approved schools that end at grade 7 or 8 are Sts. Leo-Seton School, Holy Family Catholic School, Cathedral Carmel School, Our Lady of Fatima School. A protected Louisiana Scholarship Program amount ends when a student leaves the school where the voucher was used; the standard tiers apply after a transfer.
It was also on the state's 2024-25 Tuition Donation Credit list. For a household at or under 250% of the federal poverty level, that means an STO scholarship can be added after LA GATOR, with the two together capped at the school's actual tuition and fees.
In the federal Private School Survey for 2023-24, the school reported 957 students, 61.6 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio near 15.5 students per teacher. The federal and state counts were taken in different years and cover different grade ranges, so they do not match.
Adding up the funded years
From grade 8 to grade 12, a student can spend 5 school years here. At 2026-27 award levels that adds up to about $26,215 on the standard award, $38,130 at the 250%-of-poverty level, and as much as $76,265 for a student served under IDEA. The Legislature sets funding each year, so use this to plan, not as a promise.
Covering the balance
Ask whether the school discounts for church members, siblings or staff, and whether it applies those discounts before or after the LA GATOR deposit. Ask which fees, such as books, technology and testing, are billed through Odyssey.
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What to ask the school office
- Have you registered in Odyssey for 2026-27, and how do you bill against the four quarterly deposits?
- What is the full cost for my child's grade, fees included, and what would a family on $5,243 or $7,626 still owe?
- Will you take an STO scholarship for 2026-27, and do you apply it after LA GATOR?
- Do you offer dual-enrollment courses with UL Lafayette or South Louisiana Community College, and how are they billed?
Nearby private schools
| School | Type | Grades | Distance | BESE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sts. Leo-Seton School | Catholic | PK-8 | 1.2 mi | ✓ |
| Holy Family Catholic School | Catholic | PK-8 | 1.6 mi | ✓ |
| Cathedral Carmel School | Catholic | PK-8 | 2.2 mi | ✓ |
| Ascension Episcopal School | Episcopal | PK-12 | 2.6 mi | ✓ |
| Teurlings Catholic High School | Catholic | 9-12 | 2.7 mi | ✓ |
| Gethsemane Christian Academy | Church of God in Christ | PK-8 | 3.0 mi | ✓ |
Straight-line distance from federal campus coordinates; road distance across the Atchafalaya basin and the bayous is longer.