Using LA GATOR at Riverside Academy
The state classifies Riverside Academy 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 1999.
On that list the school reported 483 K-12 students plus 38 in pre-K, which makes it the 31st-largest of 114 approved schools in the eight-parish area.
It is the largest approved school in the River Parishes, ahead of 5 others. Its pre-K program (38 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.
Enough former Louisiana Scholarship Program students were tested here for the state to publish a 2025 Scholarship Cohort Index of 59.5 (K-8 assessment index 44.5, progress index 48.6). It is calculated like a public school performance score, for scholarship students only.
The federal Private School Survey (2023-24) recorded 478 students, 33 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio of about 14.5 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.
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.
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?
Nearest private schools
| School | Type | Grades | Distance | BESE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Peter School (Reserve) | Catholic | PK-7 | 0.3 mi | ✓ |
| St. Joan of Arc School | Catholic | PK-7 | 3.7 mi | ✓ |
| St. Charles Catholic High School | Catholic | 8-12 | 4.0 mi | ✓ |
| Ascension of Our Lord Catholic School | Catholic | K-7 | 5.0 mi | ✓ |
| St. Charles Borromeo School | Catholic | PK-7 | 13.6 mi | ✓ |
| St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School | Catholic | PK-7 | 17.1 mi | ✓ |
Straight-line distance between campus coordinates.