Using LA GATOR at Ben's Ford Christian School
Ben's Ford Christian 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 2002.
On that list the school reported 297 K-12 students plus 31 in pre-K, which makes it the 51st-largest of 114 approved schools in the eight-parish area.
By enrollment it is the 2nd of 3 approved schools in Washington Parish; the nearest comparable schools with the same grade span and affiliation in the area are Bowling Green School. Its pre-K program (31 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 302 students, 17.4 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio of about 17.4 to 1.
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
Church-affiliated schools often discount tuition for member families and staff. Confirm those discounts survive when part of the bill is paid from the account, and ask which fees (registration, technology, books, uniforms) the school bills through Odyssey.
Check my funding for this school →
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annunciation School | Catholic | PK-7 | 3.1 mi | ✓ |
| Bowling Green School | Christian | PK-12 | 16.9 mi | ✓ |
| Southern Magnolia Montessori School | Montessori | PK-6 | 19.8 mi | ✓ |
| Lakeview Maria Montessori Preschool | Montessori | PK-K | 21.5 mi | ✓ |
| Covington Montessori School | Montessori | PK-K | 21.8 mi | ✓ |
| St. Scholastica Academy | Catholic | 8-12 | 21.9 mi | ✓ |
Straight-line distance between campus coordinates.