After the storm the Catholic schools were the first to reopen. They took in thousands of public school students at no charge. These schools also sustained flood damage like everyone else in the city. Since the storm the number of student attending 88 Catholic schools has dropped from 50,000 preK to 44,000 in 2007.

FEMA grants became available to rebuild but required a 10% match and included strings that excluded facilities used for other than secular education.

In January 2007 the LRA announced that some CDBG money will go to Catholic Schools. To be eligible the schools must have a FEMA grant and the CDBG money can be used for the 10% match required by those FEMA grants.