Dev build for review. School data from Louisiana Department of Education lists and the federal Private School Survey. The phone number and partner-scholarship terms are placeholders.
(225) 555-0137
Home › Blog
October 10, 2026

Stacking LA GATOR with an STO scholarship at a Baton Rouge Catholic school

How the LA GATOR account and a Tuition Donation Credit scholarship combine, who qualifies for both, and which Diocese of Baton Rouge schools were on the 2024-25 STO list.

For a lot of Baton Rouge families, the question about Catholic school isn't whether the parish school will take them. It's whether the money adds up. A $5,243 or $7,626 LA GATOR account covers a big share of tuition at many diocesan elementary schools, but rarely all of it once fees are added. The piece most families miss is that Louisiana lets you stack a second scholarship on top: a Tuition Donation Credit award from a school tuition organization.

Two programs, one bill

LA GATOR is the newer program, a state-funded account administered through the Odyssey platform. The Tuition Donation Credit program is older. Donors give to a school tuition organization (STO) and receive a Louisiana tax credit, and the STO awards scholarships to students at participating nonpublic schools. The state lists four STOs: ACE Scholarships, Arete Scholars, Aspiring Scholars and Son of a Saint.

Under Act 403 (SB 27), the two programs are stackable. Odyssey's guidance spells out the order:

  1. LA GATOR pays tuition and mandatory fees first.
  2. The STO scholarship covers what's left of tuition and mandatory fees.
  3. The combined total can't exceed the school's actual tuition and mandatory fees.
  4. If LA GATOR alone covers the full bill, the family has to decline the STO award.

If you use some of your LA GATOR money on something other than tuition, such as tutoring or a uniform, the combined total is still capped at tuition and fees. Any balance after both scholarships is the family's to pay.

Who qualifies for an STO scholarship

STO scholarships have tighter rules than LA GATOR. According to the Louisiana Department of Education, a student must:

  • Be from a family with income at or below 250% of the federal poverty line.
  • Live in Louisiana.
  • Have attended a public school on October 1 and February 1 of the most recent school year, or be entering kindergarten for the first time, or have had a Louisiana Scholarship Program or Tuition Donation scholarship the year before.

Each STO sets its own award amount, capped at the lesser of the school's tuition and mandatory fees or 80% of the state average per-pupil amount for elementary and middle school students (90% for high school).

In practice, the families who can stack are the same families who get the higher $7,626 LA GATOR amount: households at or below 250% of poverty. For a family of four, that's about $80,375 a year.

Which Baton Rouge Catholic schools were on the list

A school has to participate in the Tuition Donation Credit program for its students to use an STO award there. The state's 2024-25 participating list includes most Diocese of Baton Rouge schools in our Catholic school directory, among them Catholic High School, St. Joseph's Academy, St. Michael the Archangel High School, Our Lady of Mercy, Most Blessed Sacrament, St. Jude the Apostle, St. Thomas More, St. Jean Vianney, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Redemptorist St. Gerard, St. Francis Xavier and St. Alphonsus Liguori in Greenwell Springs. Outside East Baton Rouge, it includes Holy Family in Port Allen, St. John Primary in Prairieville, St. Theresa of Avila Middle School in Gonzales and Ascension Catholic in Donaldsonville.

Two of the largest parish elementary schools, St. Aloysius and St. George, were not on the 2024-25 list. Both are BESE-approved, so they can take LA GATOR tuition, but ask them directly whether they accept STO scholarships now.

An illustration

Say a family at or below 250% of poverty has a child entering third grade at a parish school that charges $7,900 in tuition and $600 in mandatory fees, $8,500 in all. These are example numbers; ask your school for its real price sheet.

  • LA GATOR pays $7,626 first.
  • That leaves $874 of tuition and fees.
  • An STO scholarship can cover up to that $874.
  • The family's balance on tuition and fees could be $0.

A family above 250% of poverty, at the $5,243 level, can't use an STO award. They'd have $3,257 left before parish rates or school aid.

How to line it up

The two programs run on different calendars, so it helps to work both at once:

  • Apply for LA GATOR in the March window through Odyssey, and renew every year if you're funded.
  • Contact the STOs early. Each has its own application and its funding depends on donations, so awards can run out.
  • Ask the school office how it applies both. Diocesan schools have handled state scholarship students for years and usually know the order. Ask for the full bill: tuition, registration, books, technology and any parish assessment.
  • Ask about the parishioner rate. Most Diocese of Baton Rouge schools charge registered, participating parishioners less. A lower rate means both scholarships go further, and it may mean LA GATOR alone covers the bill.

The bottom line

If your household is at or below 250% of poverty and your child is in public school or starting kindergarten, LA GATOR plus an STO scholarship can cover all of tuition at many Baton Rouge parish schools. Check whether your school is on the STO list, apply to both, and get the school's full price sheet before you decide. Our LA GATOR guide has the full rules, and the comparison table shows every approved school's STO participation.

Sources

Check my family's funding →

Find out which LA GATOR amount fits your family

A short funding check. An advisor calls you back with your options, the waitlist picture and the dates that apply. No obligation.

Start the funding check →