The Dunham School

LA GATOR and The Dunham School

The state lists The Dunham School as a BESE-approved nonpublic school for 2025-26 (accredited). That approval is the requirement for taking LA GATOR scholarship tuition. Its federal Brumfield v. Dodd nondiscrimination approval dates to 1984.

The state doesn't publish which approved schools registered with LA GATOR each year (statewide, more than 240 took part in the first year), so ask the office whether it is set up for 2026-27 and how it bills the account.

The school reported 722 K-12 students and 78 pre-K students on that list. That ranks #9 of 69 approved schools in our ten-parish directory by K-12 enrollment.

The Dunham School was also on the state's 2024-25 Tuition Donation Credit participating list, so it accepts scholarships from Louisiana's school tuition organizations (ACE Scholarships, Arete Scholars, Aspiring Scholars and Son of a Saint). Those scholarships stack with LA GATOR: the account pays tuition and mandatory fees first, and an STO award can cover the rest, up to actual tuition and fees.

In the federal Private School Survey (2023-24), it reported 713 students, 159 full-time-equivalent teachers and about 4.5 students per teacher.

From kindergarten through grade 12 is 13 school years. At 2026-27 amounts, a student funded every year here would bring about $68,159 at the standard amount, or $99,138 at the 250%-of-poverty amount. Amounts are set each year and new awards depend on funding, so treat this as a planning number. LA GATOR starts at age 5, so pre-K years are paid privately.

Paying the balance

Church schools often offer member, sibling and staff discounts. Ask whether they still apply when part of the bill is paid from LA GATOR, and which fees (registration, books, uniforms, technology) the school bills through Odyssey.

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Questions to ask the school

1. Are you registered as a participating LA GATOR school in Odyssey for 2026-27, and how do you bill the account?
2. What is the full cost for my child's grade, including mandatory fees, and what's left after the account?
3. Do you accept STO scholarships (ACE, Arete, Aspiring Scholars, Son of a Saint), and in what order do you apply them?
4. Which state test or national norm-referenced test do LA GATOR students take here?
5. Which dual-enrollment courses do you offer, and can those fees come from the account?
6. Does a pre-K seat here carry into kindergarten, when LA GATOR starts?

Closest private schools

Straight-line distance from federal survey or address coordinates.