St. Margaret Mary School

Using LA GATOR at St. Margaret Mary School

The state classifies St. Margaret Mary School as 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 1976.

On that list the school reported 362 K-12 students plus 70 in pre-K, which makes it the 39th-largest of 114 approved schools in the eight-parish area.

By enrollment it is the 9th of 17 approved schools on the Northshore; the nearest comparable schools with the same grade span and affiliation in the area are St. Peter Catholic School (Covington), Our Lady of the Lake School, Mary Queen of Peace Catholic School. Its pre-K program (70 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.

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

St. Tammany parish schools charge a parishioner rate that sits closer to the award than Orleans or Metairie schools do. Ask about it first, then about sibling discounts and whether archdiocesan assistance or an STO award covers the remainder.

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Grade 8 options after St. Margaret Mary 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:

• Pope John Paul II High School (Slidell, grades 8-12, about 2 mi)
• First Baptist Christian School (Slidell, grades 1-12, about 3 mi)
• Bishop McManus School (New Orleans, grades PK-8, about 20 mi)
• Northlake Christian School (Covington, grades PK-12, about 22 mi)
• St. Scholastica Academy (Covington, grades 8-12, all-girls, about 23 mi)
• Saint Paul's School (Covington, grades 8-12, all-boys, about 23 mi)

Ask the admissions office

1. Is the school registered with Odyssey as a LA GATOR school for 2026-27, and does it bill tuition quarterly to match the deposits?
2. 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?
3. Do you take STO scholarships (ACE, Arete, Aspiring Scholars, Son of a Saint)? Which is applied first, LA GATOR or the STO award?
4. Which high schools do your 7th graders move on to, and do you help with placement test preparation?
5. Does a PK-4 seat guarantee a kindergarten seat, which is when the account can start?

Nearest private schools

Straight-line distance between campus coordinates.