Providing All Louisiana Students with Opportunities to Learn

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Welcome to the Louisiana Department of Education

The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) serves over 800,000 students in a growing portfolio of educational settings. As the state agency that oversees early childhood and K-12 education in Louisiana, the LDOE is committed to providing every child with the opportunities they need to graduate high school ready to succeed in a career, college, or service. The LDOE is responsible for a variety of services such as policy and regulations, funding, school oversight, research, and training.

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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.

Meet Dr. Brumley

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

Learn about our priorities

Employment Opportunities

Careers at LDOE

Join the Louisiana Department of Education as we strive for excellence.

View current openings

Policy Guidance

State Advisory Groups

The LDOE facilitates over a dozen councils, committees, task forces, and other groups.

Learn more about our education groups

Eligible families can receive scholarships for nonpublic schools or high-performing public schools

(BATON ROUGE, LA) - The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) is now accepting Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) applications for the 2023-24 school year. Eligible families can receive scholarships for their children to attend participating nonpublic schools or high-performing public schools. Families have until January 27 to submit an online application for next school year.

The LSP provides scholarships to thousands of low-income families who would otherwise attend C, D, F, or T rated public schools. The LDOE has helped invest several million additional dollars into this program over the last few years to provide more families with the opportunity to attend the school of their choice. The scholarship covers all tuition and fees.

“Families know what’s best for their child,” said State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley. “This school choice program is one of the ways we keep families in the driver’s seat of their child’s education.”

To be eligible for a scholarship, students must have a family income that does not exceed 250% of the federal poverty line and must either be entering kindergarten or be enrolled in a public school with a C, D, F, or T letter grade during the year in which they apply.

For the 2023-24 school year, all parishes will complete one online application through the LDOE. The application is available online. For assistance completing the application, families can access the application guide or the family information session resources. All qualified applicants who apply during the application window have an equal chance of selection. No preference is given to applications based on when they were submitted during the application window.

Families can view a list online of nonpublic schools participating in the Louisiana Scholarship Program for 2023-24. For more information, please contact the LDOE Office of School Choice at studentscholarships@la.gov.

In the 2022-23 school year, nearly 6,000 students are attending approximately 136 nonpublic schools of their choice.

The Louisiana Legislature allocates funding for the Scholarship program. Participating schools receive a per-student award equal to the school’s tuition, student fees, and associated state testing costs up to the amount allocated per-student to the local school system in which the student resides.

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