Education funding in Louisiana
6 programs in Louisiana, 1 open to homeschoolers. Each links to the program’s official sources.
LA GATOR Scholarship Program (Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise)
Taught at home, not as a homeschooler Last updated October 17, 2026 Joining changes homeschool status Track it in My Homeschool
Yes, with conditions. A child cannot use LA GATOR while registered as a Louisiana home study program (BESE-approved or registered as a nonpublic school not seeking state approval), but families can choose LA GATOR's "Home-based Education" setting, where the child learns at home through approved LA GATOR service providers, is taught at least ELA, math, social studies and science, and takes annual ELA and math tests. No separate home-based amount is published.
School Expense Deduction (tuition and fees, home-schooling, and public school expenses)
Homeschoolers can qualify From official sources October 7, 2026
Yes. Louisiana residents can deduct 50% of qualified educational expenses paid for home-schooling a K-12 dependent, up to $6,000 per dependent (2024 tax year and later), on Schedule E of Form IT-540. Keep receipts.
Dates and status: For 2024 and later tax years the limit is $6,000 per dependent; nonpublic school tuition and fees are deductible up to $6,000 per dependent, and public school expenses at 50% up to $6,000.
Federal Scholarship Tax Credit / Education Freedom Tax Credit (state opt-in)
Program doesn’t say whether homeschoolers qualify From official sources October 7, 2026 Not open yet
Federal law ties eligible expenses to "qualified elementary or secondary education" expenses under section 530(b)(3)(A) of the tax code, and the IRS and Treasury say guidance clarifying which expenses and schools qualify is still coming. Official sources do not yet say whether homeschool expenses qualify. Louisiana's page says scholarships fund qualified K-12 expenses for households at or below 300% of area median income and does not mention homeschooling.
Dates and status: Governor Jeff Landry announced on December 17, 2025 that Louisiana will participate, and Louisiana is on the IRS list of states electing for 2027. The program begins January 1, 2027; Louisiana's scholarship organizations and application process are not yet set.
Louisiana Scholarship Program
Not open to homeschoolers From official sources October 7, 2026
This was a private-school scholarship and it has ended, so it is not available to homeschooled children. Former participants moved to LA GATOR.
Dates and status: The Louisiana Scholarship Program sunset on June 30, 2025; its students and schools got priority access to LA GATOR, and former students staying at their school keep their 2024-2025 award amount until they finish that school's last grade or leave.
School Choice Program for Certain Students with Exceptionalities
Not open to homeschoolers From official sources October 7, 2026
No. This program gives tuition assistance for students with certain exceptionalities to attend an approved nonpublic school in one of seven large parishes; it does not pay for homeschooling.
Dates and status: The department lists the 2026-2027 application period as September 14-28, 2026, with documents due to the first-choice school by September 28, 2026. Assistance is 50% of state per-pupil funding for the student's district (about $2,500), capped at the school's tuition, in Caddo, Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Lafayette, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes.
Tuition Donation Credit Program
Not open to homeschoolers From official sources October 7, 2026
No. Scholarships pay for attending a nonpublic school, not homeschooling. A child who has been homeschooled can qualify only if entering kindergarten for the first time (and then attending a participating nonpublic school); otherwise students must have attended a public school on October 1 and February 1 of the most recent school year or have been in the Louisiana Scholarship Program or this program the year before.
Dates and status: Students apply directly to a School Tuition Organization, which sets the award; scholarships cannot exceed the lesser of tuition and mandatory fees or 80% (elementary and middle) or 90% (high school) of state average per-pupil funding. Families must be Louisiana residents with income at or below 250% of the federal poverty line.