Calcasieu Parish has 10 schools on Louisiana's 2025-26 list of BESE-approved nonpublic schools. The other four parishes of Southwest Louisiana have three between them: one in Jefferson Davis, one in Beauregard, one in Allen and none at all in Cameron. If you live outside Calcasieu, that short list is the whole local market for LA GATOR tuition.
That is not a reason to give up on the account. It is a reason to plan differently. Here is what each parish actually has, according to the state and federal records, and the realistic ways families there are using the money.
Jefferson Davis Parish: Our Lady Immaculate in Jennings
The parish's only approved school is Our Lady Immaculate Catholic School on Roberts Avenue in Jennings. It runs pre-K through grade 8 and reported 166 K-12 students and 41 pre-K children on the state list. The federal Private School Survey counted 14.9 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2023-24, about 11 students per teacher, and the school is a member of the National Catholic Educational Association. It was on the 2024-25 Tuition Donation Credit list, so a qualifying family can add an STO scholarship to the account.
The planning issue in Jennings is grade 9. The diocese's only Catholic high school, St. Louis, is in Lake Charles, so a Jennings family staying in Catholic schools is choosing a daily commute west on I-10 for the high school years. The account follows the student; the drive does not get shorter. Our Our Lady Immaculate profile has the full figures.
Beauregard Parish: Cornerstone in DeRidder
Cornerstone Christian Academy in DeRidder is Beauregard's one approved school. It runs pre-K through grade 8 and reported 109 K-12 students and 25 pre-K children. It is classified as non-accredited approved, which carries no penalty for LA GATOR: the account can pay its tuition on exactly the same terms as an accredited school. Its Brumfield v. Dodd approval dates from August 2020, so it is one of the newer approvals in the region. It was on the 2024-25 STO list.
The federal survey counted 11 teachers there in 2023-24. It also lists only a post office box for the school, which is why we keep Cornerstone in our directory table rather than giving it a profile page; we do not fill in addresses from anywhere but a public record. DeRidder is also where many Fort Polk families live, and the residency step for active-duty families is covered in our Fort Polk guide.
Allen Parish: a very small school, and one that is not approved
Allen Parish's approved school is Indian Bible Academy near Elton, listed for kindergarten through grade 12 with 10 K-12 students on the state list. The federal survey recorded 11 students and roughly one full-time teacher. It is approved, so the account can pay tuition there, but it is a very small program, and a family should ask the questions any tiny school warrants: which grades actually run this year, who teaches them, and what happens if enrollment shifts.
The federal survey also lists Liberty Baptist Academy in Oakdale, with 31 students in kindergarten through grade 12. It does not appear on the 2025-26 BESE-approved list, so LA GATOR cannot pay its tuition. That says nothing about the school's quality; it is simply outside the program.
Cameron Parish: no school on either list
Neither the state approval list nor the federal private school survey shows a nonpublic school in Cameron Parish. A family in Hackberry, Grand Lake or Cameron who wants LA GATOR to pay tuition is choosing a Calcasieu school and the drive that comes with it.
Three ways families outside Calcasieu use the account
1. The local school, if it fits. Where the single approved school matches the child, the account works there exactly as it does anywhere else. Our Lady Immaculate and Cornerstone both take STO scholarships too, which matters for households at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, since the two awards can combine up to the school's actual tuition and fees.
2. A commute into Calcasieu. The ten Calcasieu schools include the diocese's high school, the only Episcopal day school in the region and the largest Christian academies. For a high schooler in particular, the commute may be the price of the right program. Ask the school whether families from your direction carpool.
3. A home-based year through the marketplace. A student who is not enrolled full time can use the account to buy an online core program, tutoring, therapy, test fees, technology and dual enrollment from registered providers. For a family with no approved school nearby, this is often the plan that actually works day to day. The one rule to check first: a student cannot hold the account while registered with the state as a BESE-approved home study program. Our home-based page explains how to handle that.
The numbers that apply everywhere
The award does not change with the parish. For 2026-27 it is $5,243 for most students, $7,626 for households at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, and up to $15,253 for a student with a disability under IDEA. Funding for the year was held to about $43.5 million statewide, so new applicants outside the priority groups are likely to be waitlisted. That makes the spring window the most important date on your calendar wherever you live.
If you are a church in one of these parishes thinking about starting a school or a registered learning program, our partner page explains the steps. In four of the five parishes there is very little competition for families who already hold an award.
Sources
- LDOE: 2025-2026 BESE-Approved Nonpublic Schools Academic Classification List
- LDOE: TDC Program 2024-2025 Participating Nonpublic Schools
- NCES: Private School Universe Survey data files
- Odyssey: How Much Funding Will the LA GATOR Program Provide (2026-27)
- Odyssey: What Schools and Programs are Eligible Through the LA GATOR Scholarship Program?
- Odyssey: Stacking LA GATOR and the Tuition Donation Tax Credit (TDC) Program