Using LA GATOR at Memorial Baptist School
The state classifies Memorial Baptist School as non-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 1984.
On that list the school reported 226 K-12 students plus 68 in pre-K, which makes it the 70th-largest of 114 approved schools in the eight-parish area.
By enrollment it is the 20th of 31 approved schools on Jefferson's east bank; the nearest comparable schools with the same grade span and affiliation in the area are Atonement Lutheran School, Faith Lutheran School. Its pre-K program (68 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 240 students, 22 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio of about 10.9 to 1. The school reports membership in Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).
Kindergarten to grade 8 is 9 years at this school. Funded every year at 2026-27 levels, that is roughly $47,187 at the standard amount or $68,634 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 →
Grade 9 options after Memorial Baptist School
Approved schools serving grade 9, nearest first:
- Ecole Classique (Metairie, grades PK-12, about 1 mi)
- Crescent City Christian School (Metairie, grades PK-12, about 1 mi)
- Archbishop Chapelle High School (Metairie, grades 8-12, all-girls, about 1 mi)
- St. Therese Academy (Metairie, grades PK-12, about 1 mi)
- Lutheran High School of Greater New Orleans (Metairie, grades 8-12, about 2 mi)
- St. Martin's Episcopal School (Metairie, grades PK-12, about 2 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?
- Does a PK-4 seat guarantee a kindergarten seat, which is when the account can start?
Nearest private schools
| School | Type | Grades | Distance | BESE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecole Classique | Independent | PK-12 | 0.6 mi | ✓ |
| St. Ann School | Catholic | PK-7 | 0.7 mi | ✓ |
| Torah Academy | Other faith | PK-8 | 0.7 mi | ✓ |
| St. Philip Neri School | Catholic | PK-7 | 0.7 mi | ✓ |
| Atonement Lutheran School | Lutheran (Missouri Synod) | PK-8 | 0.7 mi | ✓ |
| Greater New Orleans Christian Academy | Seventh-day Adventist | PK-10 | 0.9 mi | — |
Straight-line distance between campus coordinates.