How to Start Homeschooling in Louisiana

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Louisiana.

Under La. R.S. 17:236, a BESE-approved home study program is a recognized way to satisfy compulsory attendance. This is not a gray area.

You apply each year, but you do not need a teaching certificate or a college degree. You choose your own curriculum and materials. Louisiana law lists no specific subjects for home study; the standard is a curriculum of a quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level.

Louisiana's compulsory attendance applies to children from age 5 through age 18 under La. R.S. 17:221. It begins for a child who is 5 by September 30 of the school year and runs until age 18 or earlier high school graduation.

If your child's 5th birthday falls after September 30, compulsory attendance does not start until the following year. Louisiana law also lets parents defer kindergarten, so ask the Department about that option if it fits your family.

Here is how to start homeschooling in Louisiana under the BESE-approved Home Study Program.

Step 1: File your home study application. Use the Louisiana Department of Education's online home study application at ldoe.edlink.la.gov/#/HSPHome. Submit it no later than 15 days after your home study program begins. Your first application includes a copy of your child's birth certificate. No notarization is needed; you certify your program on the application itself.

Step 2: If your child is enrolled, plan the switch. The Department suggests applying before you withdraw, though approval does not have to arrive before withdrawal. Keep meeting compulsory attendance requirements while you arrange the transition. No withdrawal document is required for home study. Once your approval letter arrives, the Department suggests giving your child's prior school a copy.

Step 3: Choose your curriculum. Louisiana law lists no specific subjects for home study. Your program must offer "a sustained curriculum of a quality at least equal to that offered by the public schools at the same grade level." You pick the books, the methods, and the pace.

Step 4: Plan your school year. The Department's guidance describes 180 days of instruction. The statute no longer sets a 180-day minimum on its own, but planning at least 180 days follows the state agency's current guidance. No specific daily hours are set.

Step 5: Renew each year. Your renewal is due by October 1 of the school year, or within 12 months of your initial approval, whichever is later. Each renewal includes one of three options: a packet of materials from the year, verification of a standardized test score, or a statement from a certified teacher.

Your one required filing is the BESE home study application. It goes to the Louisiana Department of Education on behalf of BESE, through the online application. BESE then notifies your local superintendent.

File your first application within 15 days after your home study program begins, with a copy of your child's birth certificate. No notarization is required.

Louisiana requires an annual renewal, due by October 1 or within 12 months of your initial approval, whichever is later. At renewal, you provide one of these:

• A packet of materials showing the year's work (for example, subject outlines, the books and materials you used, copies of your child's work, tests, or third-party statements)
• Verification that your child scored at or above grade level on a standardized test, or made one grade level of progress per year in home study
• A statement from a certified teacher

The Department's home study guidance describes 180 days of instruction. The statute's own 180-day minimum session has not applied since the 2005-2006 school year, but planning at least 180 days follows the state agency's current guidance.

No specific hours per day or per year are set. Louisiana law does not require a home study family to keep an attendance log or grade records. A simple calendar of school days is an easy way to show the 180 days if anyone asks, and copies of your child's work help with your renewal packet.

Louisiana gives you three legal pathways for educating your child at home.

Pathway 1: BESE-Approved Home Study (La. R.S. 17:236). Apply online with the Louisiana Department of Education within 15 days after you begin. No required subject list. No teaching credentials needed. Renew annually, choosing one of three ways to document progress. This guide covers this pathway.

Pathway 2: Registered Nonpublic School (La. R.S. 17:233). Enroll in a nonpublic school that is not seeking state approval. The school submits enrollment information to the Department each year, and if your child came from a public school, the school sends that school a written notice of enrollment no later than 10 days after enrollment. State testing is not required, and the state sets no subject list or teacher qualification for a school that receives no public funds. The Department's guidance describes 180 days of instruction.

Pathway 3: State-Approved Nonpublic School (La. R.S. 17:233). Enroll in a nonpublic school that is approved by BESE. The school files an annual school report by October 15, keeps attendance records, provides 57,750 minutes (962.5 hours) of instruction per year, and follows state rules for teacher qualifications in secular subjects. Those are the school's duties, including its program of studies. Taking part in state testing is the school's choice. Your duty is to enroll your child and see that your child attends.

The day-to-day teaching may feel similar across all three pathways. The difference is in the paperwork and who is responsible for it.

Public school sports and activities. Louisiana law allows homeschooled students to participate in interscholastic athletics and extracurricular activities at their resident public school, subject to LHSAA rules. Your child must meet academic, age, and residency requirements comparable to enrolled students. Reach out to the school's athletic director to start the process.

Look into dual enrollment. Homeschooled students may take college courses at Louisiana colleges and universities. Admission requirements and costs vary by institution, so contact the school you are interested in.

Plan for TOPS early. Louisiana's TOPS (Taylor Opportunity Program for Students) scholarship is open to homeschooled students who meet its home study rules, including ACT score requirements and documentation of the high school years. Review the current requirements with the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance early in high school, and submit the FAFSA or TOPS online application by the deadline.

Weigh the LA GATOR scholarship carefully. LA GATOR (Act 1 of 2024) is an education savings account administered through the Odyssey platform. Students in an approved home study program are not eligible while in that program, so a family must leave the home study pathway to participate. GATOR participants take annual ELA and math assessments. Award amounts and eligibility phases are set each year, so check the current terms before applying.

Know the special needs landscape. Home study students are generally not entitled to IEP services from the public school district. Your district must still locate and evaluate children suspected of having a disability under IDEA Child Find. If you are considering LA GATOR for therapies, review how the program affects your child's rights under IDEA before you decide.

You award the diploma. Under the home study pathway, you as the parent create your child's transcript and issue the diploma. There is no state template.