Welcome to the Louisiana Department of Education
About the Louisiana Department of Education
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) provides guidance and support to all publicly funded early childhood centers and elementary and secondary schools in Louisiana. Specifically, the department provides tools and resources to schools and school systems to support classroom instruction, assessments, workforce development and college and career preparation. Additionally, the department provides families and the public with transparent reporting of center, school, and school system performance and quality through the Louisiana School Finder.
To stay connected with the LDOE and receive updates on our work and our resources, visit our newsroom and our newsletter subscriptions page.
Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)
The LDOE is the administrative arm of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). BESE was established by the 1974 Louisiana Constitution. The Board is composed of 11 members: eight elected by the citizens of Louisiana’s eight BESE districts, and three appointed by the governor of Louisiana to represent the state at-large. Together, these members adopt and enact policies governing the elementary and secondary schools of Louisiana.
Louisiana's Education Priorities
Louisiana's education priorities maintain a clear focus on what matters most for academic achievement.
- Early childhood leading to kindergarten readiness
- Literacy instruction aligned to the Science of Reading
- Math instruction from foundational to advanced skills
- Opportunities ensuring a meaningful high school experience
- An effective teacher for every student
- Expand educational choice for students and families
Request Information
If you have questions, including public records requests, questions about licensure, or other types of inquiries, please see our contact us page.
Louisiana State Superintendent
Dr. Cade Brumley
Dr. Brumley is a Louisiana native who has dedicated his career to serving children, parents, and educators.
Back to the Basics
Louisiana's Education Priorities
From being ready to learn on the first day of kindergarten to thriving in a career, college
Employment Opportunities
Careers at LDOE
Join the Louisiana Department of Education as we strive for excellence.
Policy Guidance
State Advisory Groups
The LDOE facilitates over a dozen councils, committees, task forces, and other groups.
(BATON ROUGE, LA) - Louisiana schools showed marked improvement on the latest state rankings released by U.S. News & World Report. This widely-referenced report captured education as a component of its 2023 Best States rankings, which evaluates all 50 states. Louisiana moved up five places for Pre-K-12 education, improving to 41st in 2023.
“These positive gains reflect the unwavering commitment educators and policy makers have to improving the quality of education in Louisiana,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “In a state long-challenged with educational outcomes, this movement is welcome news; however, we have a long way to go and must keep pushing forward.”
This improvement is similar to the positive data released earlier this school year on NAEP, also known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” where Louisiana 4th graders ranked #1 in the country in reading growth.
According to U.S. News & World Report, from 2019 to 2023, Louisiana has improved its overall Pre-K-12 ranking five spots, jumping from 46th to 41st. Categorically, Louisiana made the following improvements among the states:
- College readiness improved two places from 42nd to 40th
- High school graduation improved eight places from 45th to 37th
- Math scores improved six places from 50th to 44th
- Reading scores improved 10 places from 48th to 38th
- Preschool enrollment improved six places from 15th to 9th
This is the latest data to show the continued progress of Louisiana students.
- Louisiana's 4th graders led the country in reading growth and the state's overall ranking moved from 46th to 42nd among the states from 2019 to 2022 on NAEP.
- Louisiana’s students earned the most significant year-over-year increase on state assessments since 2016, as students increased three points in both ELA and math.
- Louisiana’s overall School Performance Score returned to its pre-pandemic level.
- Louisiana’s students in grades 1-3 grew on the Fall Reading Report for the second consecutive year.
The U.S. News & World Report Pre-K-12 ranking informs the Best States rankings. It measures state performance across the life cycle of a young person’s education, encompassing preschool enrollment, standardized test scores among eighth-graders, high school graduation rate and college readiness.
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