Homeschooling in Louisiana: the law and how to start

Yes. Louisiana gives you two ways to teach your child at home, and you choose one:

• BESE-approved home study program. You apply to the state, and your program is approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). An approved program counts as meeting the compulsory attendance law, and you renew it every year.
• Nonpublic school not seeking state approval. You run your homeschool as a small private school that does not ask for state approval. Each year you submit enrollment information through the Department's online form. The Department is clear that this submission is not an approval of your program and does not by itself confirm you are meeting compulsory attendance laws.

The choice matters later. The home study route gives access to things the nonpublic route does not, including the alternate path to TOPS college scholarships and the right to try out for public school sports and activities. The Department publishes a 'home study options' comparison to help you decide.

Home study route:

• Apply through the Department's online home study system no later than 15 days after your program begins.
• Upload a clear certified copy of your child's birth certificate (don't mail the original).
• For a child who is 11 or entering 6th grade, choose one of the meningococcal immunization assurance statements in the application. You don't send immunization records to the Department.
• Renew each year by October 1 of the school year, or within 12 months of your initial approval, whichever is later. Approval is for one year at the grade level on your application.

Nonpublic school not seeking approval route: submit your school's enrollment information each year using the Department's online attendance submission, and, if your child is leaving a public school, send that school a notice of enrollment within 10 days of enrolling your child.

If your child is currently in public school, keep them enrolled until you have filed under the route you've chosen, then notify the school in writing that you are withdrawing them, and keep a copy.

The home study statute requires a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to what public schools offer at the same grade level. It does not require you to use a particular curriculum or follow the state standards.

In practice, the Department's renewal guidance looks at the core subjects: English language arts, math, science and social studies. If you plan to submit a curriculum packet at renewal, keep notes on what you cover in each of these subjects through the year.

Louisiana does not require home study students to take state tests. Instead, each renewal must show that your child is progressing, using one of these options:

• Curriculum packet: a short subject outline, a list of materials used, a small sample of your child's work and, if you have them, a third-party statement, report card or test results. The Department asks for about 1–2 pages per core subject, uploaded through the online system.
• Standardized test scores showing your child is at or above grade level, or has progressed at least one grade level per year in the program.
• A statement from a certified teacher (certified at your child's grade level) who has reviewed the program and confirms it offers a sustained curriculum at least equal to public school. Include a copy of the teacher's certificate.

The Department notes that state law has no exceptions to the approval deadlines, so keep copies of everything you submit and your approval letters.

The nonpublic-school route has no renewal evidence requirement, but keeping attendance and progress records is still wise if you ever need to show your child was being educated.

According to the Department, a diploma earned in a BESE-approved home study program carries the same weight as a state-issued diploma. Parents create the transcript and diploma themselves.

TOPS scholarships: Louisiana's TOPS program has alternate eligibility rules for graduates of approved home study programs, administered by the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA). A 2025 law (Act 359, HB 378) changed these rules and lowered the minimum ACT score required for home study students. The Department says the nonpublic-school route does not make students eligible for TOPS, so if TOPS matters to you, use the home study route and check LOSFA's home study page early.

Since August 1, 2024 (Act 715 of 2024), a public school may not disqualify a student from extracurricular activities or interscholastic athletics only because the student is in an approved home study program. Your child tries out or applies at the public school for your attendance zone, in the same way and at the same times as enrolled students, and must meet the same requirements, such as grade point average and discipline rules.

This right is written for approved home study students; it does not mention the nonpublic-school route.

Special education: the Department's guidance says students in BESE-approved home study or a nonpublic school not seeking approval do not qualify for special education and related services under IDEA through the school system. Contact your school district if you want to discuss options.

Louisiana's education savings account program, the LA GATOR Scholarship, was created in 2024. It is not available to families who keep their child in a homeschool program: the program policy says a student cannot take part while enrolled in a BESE-approved home study program or a nonpublic school not seeking state approval, and must leave LA GATOR on enrolling in one.

LA GATOR does have a home-based option in which a student is educated at home using approved LA GATOR service providers, but the family is then in the LA GATOR program rather than in home study. For 2026–27, the Department lists eligibility based on age (5 to 21 by September 30, 2026), Louisiana residency and one of several pathways (returning recipient, entering kindergarten, recent public school enrollment, or household income limits). Rules and application windows change each year, so check the official LA GATOR pages before you decide.