LA GATOR and Holy Ghost School
Holy Ghost School is on the Louisiana Department of Education's 2025-26 list of BESE-approved nonpublic schools, classified as accredited. BESE approval is what a school needs to accept LA GATOR tuition from a family's account. Its federal Brumfield v. Dodd nondiscrimination approval dates to 1976.
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 560 K-12 students and 128 pre-K students on that list. That ranks #13 of 69 approved schools in our ten-parish directory by K-12 enrollment.
Holy Ghost School was not on the 2024-25 Tuition Donation Credit participating list, so STO scholarships may not be available here. Ask whether the school has joined since.
In the federal Private School Survey (2023-24), it reported 560 students, 40.9 full-time-equivalent teachers and about 13.7 students per teacher. It lists membership in National Catholic Educational Association.
From kindergarten through grade 8 is 9 school years. At 2026-27 amounts, a student funded every year here would bring about $47,187 at the standard amount, or $68,634 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
Diocese of Baton Rouge schools typically offer a lower rate to registered, participating parishioners, plus need-based tuition assistance. Ask how LA GATOR applies to the parish rate, and whether an STO scholarship or diocesan aid can cover the balance.
Check my funding for this school →
After grade 8: where students can continue
Holy Ghost School ends at grade 8. These approved schools serve grade 9:
- St. Thomas Aquinas Diocesan Regional High School (Hammond, grades 8-12, about 2 mi)
- Oak Forest Academy (Amite, grades PK-12, about 16 mi)
- Open Door Christian Academy (Denham Springs, grades PK-12, about 28 mi)
- St. Michael the Archangel High School (Baton Rouge, grades 9-12, about 32 mi)
- Ascension Christian School (Gonzales, grades PK-12, about 32 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emmanuel SDA School | Seventh-day Adventist | K-8 | 0.3 mi | ✓ |
| Oaks Montessori School | Montessori | PK-6 | 1.8 mi | ✓ |
| St. Thomas Aquinas Diocesan Regional High School | Catholic | 8-12 | 2.0 mi | ✓ |
| Trafton Academy | Independent | PK-8 | 2.5 mi | ✓ |
| St. Joseph School | Catholic | PK-8 | 4.9 mi | ✓ |
| Mater Dolorosa School | Catholic | PK-8 | 9.2 mi | ✓ |
Straight-line distance from federal survey or address coordinates.