LA GATOR and Gardere Community Christian School
The state lists Gardere Community Christian School as a BESE-approved nonpublic school for 2025-26 (non-accredited). That approval is the requirement for taking LA GATOR scholarship tuition. Its federal Brumfield v. Dodd nondiscrimination approval dates to 2012.
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 120 K-12 students and 40 pre-K students on that list. That ranks #49 of 69 approved schools in our ten-parish directory by K-12 enrollment.
Gardere Community Christian 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.
Because enough of its students came through the former Louisiana Scholarship Program, the state calculated a 2025 Scholarship Cohort Index for the school: 72.8, with a K-8 assessment index of 56.2 and a progress index of 103.7. The index is built like a public school performance score and covers only scholarship students who took state tests.
In the federal Private School Survey (2023-24), it reported 110 students, 9 full-time-equivalent teachers and about 12.2 students per teacher.
From kindergarten through grade 5 is 6 school years. At 2026-27 amounts, a student funded every year here would bring about $31,458 at the standard amount, or $45,756 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.
Check my funding for this school →
After grade 5: where students can continue
Gardere Community Christian School ends at grade 5. These approved schools serve grade 6:
- St. Jude the Apostle School (Baton Rouge, grades PK-8, about 1 mi)
- Family Christian Academy (Baton Rouge, grades PK-12, about 3 mi)
- The Dunham School (Baton Rouge, grades PK-12, about 3 mi)
- St. George School (Baton Rouge, grades PK-8, about 4 mi)
- St. Aloysius School (Baton Rouge, grades PK-8, about 4 mi)
Questions to ask the school
- Are you registered as a participating LA GATOR school in Odyssey for 2026-27, and how do you bill the account?
- What is the full cost for my child's grade, including mandatory fees, and what's left after the account?
- Do you accept STO scholarships (ACE, Arete, Aspiring Scholars, Son of a Saint), and in what order do you apply them?
- Which state test or national norm-referenced test do LA GATOR students take here?
- Does a pre-K seat here carry into kindergarten, when LA GATOR starts?
Closest private schools
| School | Type | Grades | Distance | BESE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Jude the Apostle School | Catholic | PK-8 | 0.9 mi | ✓ |
| Elan Vital Montessori School | Montessori | PK-1 | 1.6 mi | ✓ |
| Montessori School of Baton Rouge | Montessori | PK-K | 2.6 mi | ✓ |
| Family Christian Academy | Christian | PK-12 | 3.0 mi | ✓ |
| The Dunham School | Christian | PK-12 | 3.1 mi | ✓ |
| St. George School | Catholic | PK-8 | 3.9 mi | ✓ |
Straight-line distance from federal survey or address coordinates.