Most Baton Rouge families think of LA GATOR as a tuition payment, and for families at a full-time private school it mostly is. But the program's approved-expense list is long, and the caps on some items catch people out. Here is the list as Odyssey publishes it for the program, with the limits that matter.
The twelve approved categories
- Private school tuition and fees
At a BESE-approved school taking part in LA GATOR, including classes and vocational or life-skills programs.
- Supplementary materials
Textbooks, workbooks, fiction and nonfiction books, test-prep books, manipulatives, educational kits, sensory products, supplies and online class materials. Subscriptions must be educational, not entertainment or streaming.
- Career and technical school
Tuition and fees for classes and vocational or life-skills education.
- Assessments
Approved annual tests include LEAP, NWEA MAP, Iowa, Stanford, TerraNova, California Achievement Test, CLT, PSAT, Pre-ACT, ACT and SAT. Industry credential exams and AP exams can be paid for but don't count as the annual assessment.
- Educational therapies
Occupational, physical, speech-language, behavioral health, vision, audiology, adaptive PE, counseling, orientation and mobility, social work and therapeutic recreation, from providers licensed in that therapy.
- Dual enrollment
College courses already approved for Louisiana's Course Choice program. Other courses must go through Course Choice approval first.
- Tutoring
Academic, AP, test-prep, special-needs, English and virtual tutoring. Tutors don't need a license, but the platform shows whether they have one.
- Public school services
Individual classes, online classes and vocational programs offered by a public school.
- Technology
Computers, tablets, monitors, cameras, assistive technology and learning software, with the caps below. No gaming computers.
- Uniforms
School-day uniforms only, bought directly through a participating school. Extracurricular uniforms aren't covered.
- Summer and before/after-school programs
Programs with academic support: study skills, tutoring or homework help.
- Parent navigation services
Help planning and using the account, capped as a share of account use.
Items with caps
| Item | Limit |
|---|---|
| Musical instrument purchase or rental | $500 a year; one purchase every 2 years |
| AP exam | $100 |
| Printer | $100; one every 5 years |
| Printer ink | $300 a year |
| Mouse / keyboard | $50 a year each |
| Calculator | $150 |
| Robotics kit | $500; one every 3 years |
| Laptop or desktop | No cap listed; no gaming computers |
| Parent navigation services | Capped as a share of account use (5-10%) |
What it won't pay for
- Entertainment or streaming subscriptions
- Gaming computers
- Extracurricular uniforms, or school uniforms bought anywhere but through the school
- Therapy from a provider not licensed in that therapy
- Purchases made outside the Odyssey platform. There's no reimbursement for things you buy elsewhere.
How Baton Rouge families tend to use it
At a full-time school, tuition and mandatory fees usually use up the whole award. At the larger campuses in our directory, such as St. Joseph's Academy, Catholic High School, St. Aloysius School, tuition is well above even the $7,626 amount, so there's rarely anything left for other categories. A family at a parish elementary school charging close to the award, or a home-based family, has more room to plan for therapies, tutoring, testing and technology.
Because deposits arrive quarterly, big purchases such as a laptop may need to wait for a second deposit. Plan the year in four parts.