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:
Parents, schools, service providers, and the public can learn more at lagator.la.gov
BATON ROUGE, LA) - The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) has unveiled new resources to support the public in understanding and accessing the state’s first education scholarship account (ESA) program. The Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise (LA GATOR) Scholarship Program is set to open student applications by March 1 for the 2025-2026 school year. To assist families, schools, and service providers, the program now features a dedicated webpage, call center, and email help desk.
The public can access these new LA GATOR communications supports at:
Housed on the LDOE’s newly redesigned website, the LA GATOR Scholarship Program page serves as a central hub for information about Louisiana’s latest school choice initiative. The site includes:
The LDOE has partnered with Odyssey to manage the program’s application process and marketplace. Odyssey will provide families, schools, and service providers with assistance on applications, account management, and navigating the marketplace once it launches on March 1. 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.
Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, the LA GATOR Scholarship Program will replace the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP). LSP students will receive priority access to LA GATOR but must submit an application when the portal opens on March 1. To ensure a smooth transition, the LDOE will provide additional resources for LSP families, including a dedicated webinar and application guidance materials.
Families currently participating in LSP who have not been receiving updates about LA GATOR from their school and the LDOE are encouraged to contact the call center or email help desk.
The LA GATOR Scholarship Program is Louisiana’s first ESA, providing scholarship accounts to eligible students. Parents can use these funds for approved educational services, such as:
Signed into law by Governor Landry, the LA GATOR Scholarship Program represents a significant step in expanding educational freedom in Louisiana. It complements the state’s diverse school choice offerings, which include traditional public schools, public charter schools, nonpublic schools, and home study programs.