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Homeschooling in Louisiana
A year-round Louisiana homeschool marketplace — curriculum, tutoring, therapy, STEM, arts and enrichment providers, plus a plain-English guide to the LA GATOR Scholarship.
Louisiana homeschooling by topic
- Louisiana Homeschool Laws & Requirements
- How to Start Homeschooling in Louisiana
- Louisiana School Choice, ESAs & Scholarships
- Homeschool Sports & Activities in Louisiana
- Dual Enrollment & College for Louisiana Homeschoolers
- Special Needs & Special Education Homeschooling in Louisiana
LA GATOR Scholarship Program at a glance
- Overseen by: Louisiana Department of Education, under rules adopted by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) (La. R.S. 17:4037.1 et seq.; Act 1 of 2024)
- Administered by: Odyssey (applications, student accounts and the LA GATOR Marketplace)
- Amount per student, 2026–27: Up to 5,253 for students with an IDEA disability (tiered by disability), $7,626 for families at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, and $5,243 for all other eligible students. Former Louisiana Scholarship Program students keep their 2024–25 award amount.
- Who is eligible: Louisiana residents age 5 to 21 by September 30, 2026 who were in LA GATOR in 2025–26 (or the Louisiana Scholarship Program in 2024–25), are entering kindergarten, were enrolled in a public school on both October 1 and February 1 of 2025–26, or have household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- Application window / next dates: The 2026–27 window ran March 1–16, 2026, and returning students had to renew in it. Dates for 2027–28 have not been announced; LDOE says to watch the LA GATOR website.
- Funding limits: Awards depend on the money the Legislature appropriates each year, and eligibility does not guarantee an award. When money runs short, returning students come first, then low-income students and students with disabilities, then siblings, then everyone else, with earlier applications first within each group. Students waiting for funding show as "Eligible" in Odyssey.
- Already homeschooling?: A student in a BESE-approved home study program, or in a home study registered with LDOE as a nonpublic school not seeking state approval, cannot take part in LA GATOR at the same time. LA GATOR has its own "home-based education" setting instead.
Read the full guide: LA GATOR Scholarship — A Guide for Homeschool Families
Coming up in Louisiana
- Tue, Nov 3, 2026 – Thu, Nov 12, 2026 · Bluebonnet Swamp homeschool programs – November sessions
Baton Rouge · BREC Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center, 6201 Florida Blvd · $40/month parish residents; $48 out-of-parish
BREC homeschool nature programs: Swamp School (ages 6–10) Tuesdays Nov. 3–10, 2–4 p.m.; Trail Time for Toddlers (ages 2–5) Wednesdays Nov. 4–11 and Thursdays Nov. 5–12, 9:30–11:30 a.m. Programs run March–May and September–November. - Tue, Nov 10, 2026 · Swamp School (Tuesday session)
Baton Rouge · Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center · $40 per month (four sessions) per child for EBR Parish residents; $48 per month for out-of-parish residents
Nature-based science program for children ages 6-10 with an accompanying adult, including outdoor exploration, arts and crafts, live animal encounters, and healthy snacks, held 2-4 p.m. - Wed, Nov 11, 2026 · Trail Time for Toddlers (Wednesday session)
Baton Rouge · Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center · $40 per month (four sessions) per child for EBR Parish residents; $48 per month for out-of-parish residents
A playgroup for children ages 2-5 and their parents or guardians, with trail walks, crafts, storytelling, live animal encounters, and healthy snacks, held 9:30-11:30 a.m. - Thu, Nov 12, 2026 – Fri, Nov 13, 2026 · LATM/LSTA Joint Conference 2026 (Math & Science Teachers)
Baton Rouge · Raising Cane's River Center, 275 S River Rd, Baton Rouge, LA 70802 · See organizer page
Joint conference of the Louisiana Association of Teachers of Mathematics and the Louisiana Science Teachers Association for math and science educators. - Thu, Nov 12, 2026 · Trail Time for Toddlers (Thursday session)
Baton Rouge · Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center · $40 per month (four sessions) per child for EBR Parish residents; $48 per month for out-of-parish residents
A playgroup for children ages 2-5 and their parents or guardians, with trail walks, crafts, storytelling, live animal encounters, and healthy snacks, held 9:30-11:30 a.m. - Fri, Nov 13, 2026 · Kindness Grows
New Orleans · Louisiana Children's Museum, Edible Garden
From 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on World Kindness Day, guests join a story time and lesson on kindness in the Edible Garden and can help plant seeds of kindness. - Sat, Nov 14, 2026 · CLT (Classic Learning Test) Remote Test Date (November 2026)
Online · Remotely proctored (at home) · CLT registration fee (see cltexam.com)
Remotely proctored CLT administration; registration deadline Nov. 5, 2026. - Sat, Nov 14, 2026 · Louisiana Christian University Preview Day
Pineville · Louisiana Christian University, 1140 College Dr, Pineville, LA 71360 · See organizer page
Preview day from 9 AM to 2 PM with a welcome session, lunch, campus tours and departmental visits. - Sat, Nov 14, 2026 · Loyola University New Orleans Fall Open House
New Orleans · Loyola University New Orleans, 6363 St. Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118 · See organizer page
Fall open house for prospective students and families at Loyola's uptown campus; registration is online. - Sat, Nov 14, 2026 · McNeese State University Preview Day
Lake Charles · McNeese State University, 4205 Ryan St, Lake Charles, LA 70605 · Free
Free preview day from 10:00 AM to about 1:15 PM with welcome remarks, an academic open house, student organizations and optional campus tours; attendees who apply that day get an application fee waiver.
See all 105 upcoming Louisiana events
Louisiana homeschool & school choice news
- School Choice Program for Certain Students with Exceptionalities (Round 4) — Louisiana Department of Education
- Cao, Landry appointee, wins state school board seat — WWNO
- Help choose the English Language Arts materials Louisiana classrooms use (teacher leader advisor applications, closing Nov. 20) — Louisiana Department of Education
- NOLA-PS Opens Kindergarten-12th Grade Main Round Applications for 2027-2028 School Year — NOLA Public Schools
- Homeschool leaders meet with Louisiana child welfare agency — The Center Square
Co-ops, groups and vendors
151 homeschool co-ops, support groups, microschools and hybrid schools across Louisiana — browse the list. Homeschool vendors serving Louisiana.
Homeschooling by city
Baton Rouge · Lafayette · Shreveport · Covington · New Orleans · Hammond · Lake Charles · Denham Springs · Kansas City · Mandeville · Metairie · Gonzales · Houma · Leesville · Pineville · Ruston · Central · Liberty · Slidell · Abita Springs · Albany · Belle Chasse · Bellingham · Bossier City · Boyce · Chackbay · Chalmette · Colbert · DeRidder · Dry Creek · Eunice · Independence · Lacombe · Lake Arthur · Longville · Luling · Mansura · Morgan City · Natchitoches · Parks · all cities
Articles for Louisiana families
- LA GATOR and Louisiana Homeschooling: Why Home Study Students Can't Join and What Home-Based Education Means
- Who Qualifies for LA GATOR in 2026-27: Eligibility, Funding Priority and How the Waitlist Works
- The LA GATOR Scholarship in Plain English: Louisiana's Education Account, Who Runs It and What It Pays
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