ABA Healing Academy
New Orleans
Raphael Academy
New Orleans
St. Michael Special School
New Orleans
School details →Learning differencesSt. Therese Academy
Metairie
School details →The Chartwell Center
New Orleans
| School | Type | City | Grades | LA GATOR tuition | K-12 students* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABA Healing Academy 9600 Lake Forest Blvd, Po Box 871556 | Learning differences | New Orleans | K-9 | Not approved | 35 |
| Raphael Academy 517 Soraparu St Ste 104 | Learning differences | New Orleans | — | Not approved | 5 |
| St. Michael Special School 1522 Chippewa St | Learning differences | New Orleans | PK-12 | ✓ BESE-approved | 0 |
| St. Therese Academy 6421 W Metairie Ave | Learning differences | Metairie | PK-12 | ✓ BESE-approved | 159 |
| The Chartwell Center 1225 Magazine St | Learning differences | New Orleans | PK-11 | Not approved | 19 |
* K-12 enrollment on the state's 2025-26 BESE approval list; federal survey enrollment for schools not on that list. "BESE-approved" means the school can accept LA GATOR tuition if it registers in Odyssey for the year. "Not approved" schools can't be paid tuition from the account.
Approved vs. not approved
St. Michael Special School (Lower Garden District) and St. Thérèse Academy for Exceptional Learners (Metairie) are archdiocesan schools on the BESE list, so the account can pay their tuition. The Chartwell Center, Raphael Academy and ABA Healing Academy serve students with autism and related needs but are not BESE-approved; a family can still use the account there for therapy or services if the provider registers in the Odyssey marketplace, just not for tuition.
How the IDEA tiers work
A student with a disability under IDEA receives more than the standard award, tiered by the level of support and raised again for households at or below 250% of poverty, to a maximum of $15,253. IDEA students are also in the second priority group for funding, immediately behind returning participants, which in a waitlist year is the difference between funded and not.
Therapy from the account
Speech, occupational, physical and behavioral therapy, audiology and counseling from licensed providers are approved expenses. A common New Orleans arrangement is a mainstream parish school plus outside therapy paid from the account; another is a home-based plan built around therapy and tutoring.
One scholarship you must choose between
Louisiana's older School Choice Program for Certain Students with Exceptionalities can't be held at the same time as LA GATOR. If your child has it, compare the two amounts and the school's preference before switching.
What to ask
- Which diagnoses and support levels do you serve, and is there a seat in my child's grade?
- Is therapy bundled in tuition or billed separately, and can the separate charges go through Odyssey?
- How do you assess and report progress for students who don't take the state test?