LA GATOR at First Baptist Christian Academy
Louisiana's 2025-26 nonpublic approval list carries First Baptist Christian Academy as non-accredited. In practical terms that is the green light for LA GATOR: an approved school can receive tuition and required fees from a student's account once it signs up in Odyssey for the year. Sign-up is the school's own annual step and the state does not publish who completed it, so confirm it for 2026-27. The school's Brumfield v. Dodd clearance, which any school enrolling state-funded students must hold, is dated 2013.
The school reported 224 K-12 students and 42 pre-K children to the state, which makes it number 8 by K-12 enrollment among the 13 approved schools in the five parishes.
The school ends at grade 8, so a high school choice comes later. The approved schools here that teach grade 9 at any scale are Bishop Noland Episcopal Day School, Hamilton Christian Academy, St. Louis Catholic High School, and the account moves with the student to whichever admits them.
It does not appear on the 2024-25 Tuition Donation Credit list, so an STO scholarship may not be available here unless the school has joined since. The account itself is unaffected; ask the office about its own aid for any balance.
In the 2023-24 round of the federal Private School Survey the school counted 256 students, 35 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio near 7.3 students per teacher. The federal and state figures come from different years, which explains the gap between them.
Across every funded grade
The account can pay for 9 school years here (kindergarten to grade 8). At this year's amounts that adds up to about $47,187 on the standard award, $68,634 on the lower-income award and as much as $137,277 for an IDEA student, not counting STO scholarships. Each year's award depends on the appropriation, so use it to size the decision, not as a promise. The pre-K years on this campus are outside the account; funding begins at five.
Covering the rest
Church academies often discount for members, staff and siblings. Ask whether those discounts are calculated before or after the LA GATOR deposit, since the order changes your balance, and which fees run through Odyssey.
Check my funding for this school →
What to ask when you call
- Are you set up in Odyssey for 2026-27, and does your billing follow the quarterly deposit schedule?
- What is the all-in price for my child's grade, and what would a family on the $5,243 or $7,626 award still owe?
- Does a pre-K seat guarantee a kindergarten seat, the first year the account can pay?
Nearby schools on the federal map
| School | Type | Grades | Distance | BESE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop Noland Episcopal Day School | Episcopal | PK-12 | 5.2 mi | ✓ |
| St. Louis Catholic High School | Catholic | 9-12 | 6.0 mi | ✓ |
| Immaculate Conception Cathedral School | Catholic | PK-8 | 6.1 mi | ✓ |
| St. Margaret Catholic School | Catholic | PK-8 | 6.7 mi | ✓ |
| Our Lady Queen of Heaven School | Catholic | PK-8 | 8.4 mi | ✓ |
| Covenant Grace Academy | Christian | PK-12 | 8.8 mi | — |
Straight-line miles between federal survey coordinates. Schools without a federal record cannot be placed on the map.