LA GATOR and Oak Forest Academy
Oak Forest Academy 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 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 726 K-12 students and 58 pre-K students on that list. That ranks #8 of 69 approved schools in our ten-parish directory by K-12 enrollment.
Oak Forest Academy 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 717 students, 46.1 full-time-equivalent teachers and about 15.6 students per teacher. It lists membership in State/regional independent school association (e.g., ISAS).
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
Independent schools set their own need-based aid. Ask whether LA GATOR is counted before or after aid is calculated.
Check my funding for this school →
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?
- Which dual-enrollment courses do you offer, and can those fees come from the account?
- Does a pre-K seat here carry into kindergarten, when LA GATOR starts?
Closest private schools
| School | Type | Grades | Distance | BESE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mater Dolorosa School | Catholic | PK-8 | 6.8 mi | ✓ |
| Trafton Academy | Independent | PK-8 | 13.6 mi | ✓ |
| St. Thomas Aquinas Diocesan Regional High School | Catholic | 8-12 | 14.3 mi | ✓ |
| Emmanuel SDA School | Seventh-day Adventist | K-8 | 15.8 mi | ✓ |
| Holy Ghost School | Catholic | PK-8 | 15.9 mi | ✓ |
| Oaks Montessori School | Montessori | PK-6 | 17.6 mi | ✓ |
Straight-line distance from federal survey or address coordinates.