The Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise (LA GATOR) Scholarship Program was signed into law by Governor Jeff Landry June 19, 2024. Enacted by the 2024 Louisiana legislature (Act 1), this new program will for the first time ever provide education scholarship accounts (ESAs) to Louisiana families. These scholarships provide parents with an account that allows them to customize their child’s education. The scholarship accounts can be used for school tuition and fees, tutoring, educational therapies, textbooks and curricula, dual enrollment courses, and uniforms.
Odyssey is operating the program’s call center and email help desk, and it has added a virtual chat option on its dedicated LA GATOR support page to further assist users.
Pending legislative appropriation, the LA GATOR Scholarship Program will begin serving Louisiana families and students in 2025. The LDOE will begin accepting online student applications no later than March 1, 2025, for the 2025-2026 school year. Continue to visit our website for the latest updates or sign-up for our LA GATOR email list.
The Louisiana Scholarship Program will continue to be administered through the end of the 2024-2025 school year. The Louisiana Scholarship Program will sunset on June 30, 2025 and all Louisiana Scholarship Program students and nonpublic schools will receive priority access to the LA GATOR Scholarship Program. The Louisiana Department of Education will contact current Louisiana Scholarship Program families on next steps for the 2025-2026 school year.
Any nonpublic school participating in the Louisiana Scholarship Program during the 2024-2025 school year, provided that it has not subsequently been found to be ineligible to participate in the Louisiana Scholarship Program, may participate in the LA GATOR Program during the 2025-2026 school year without undergoing a separate application or approval process. Such a nonpublic school opting to participate in the LA GATOR Program will be required to register and attest to program requirements according to the process outlined by the department.
For each school year thereafter, such schools shall comply with the LA GATOR Program requirements with respect to the application process.
Students having participated in the Louisiana Scholarship Program during the 2024-2025 school year, subject to the allocation of state funds, shall be awarded an amount equal to the award amount received during the 2024-2025 school year and shall continue to receive this award until the student completes the school’s terminal grade or until the student leaves the school, whichever comes first.
For a student to be eligible for an ESA, the student must be a resident of Louisiana and meet one of the following:
Student eligibility is terminated when a participating student meets one of the following:
Funding for student accounts is subject to annual legislative appropriation of state funds. If allocated funds are insufficient to fund all eligible students, awards shall be prioritized as follows:
The maximum annual award shall be calculated using a multiplier of the prior year Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) formula average state and local per pupil amount.
For the 2025-2026 school year, the award will be the following:
(BATON ROUGE, LA) - The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) announced registration dates for Teacher Leader Summit 2025, the state’s premier professional learning event dedicated to equipping educators with the tools and strategies to drive academic achievement. Teacher Leader Summit 2025 will take place June 10-12 at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
Early bird registration is February 10 until March 14. The early bird cost for the three-day professional learning conference is $249. Regular registration will open on March 15 and continue through April 18 at a cost of $299. The registration link will be available on the Teacher Leader Summit webpage. Registration will be on a first-come-first serve basis.
Teacher Leader Summit is Louisiana’s premier professional learning event. Thousands of Louisiana educators dedicate part of their summer break to improve in their craft and prepare for the school year ahead. Attendees gain new skills, share their expertise, and collaborate with peers from across the state to make a greater impact on student achievement. Designed for educators serving students from birth to grade 12, Teacher Leader Summit offers sessions for classroom teachers, school and system leaders, district administrators, counselors, and early childhood professionals.
Teacher Leader Summit 2025 celebrates Louisiana’s historic education progress and sets the stage for the next chapter of success. Educators across the state are writing a new story for Louisiana education by accelerating academic achievement and fostering student growth. This year’s Summit theme, “A New Story for Louisiana Education,” highlights the collective effort of educators to continue moving our state forward.
For questions or more information, visit the Teacher Leader Summit webpage or contact ldoeevents@la.gov.