Participating and Potential Families

LA GATOR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Welcome, LA GATOR Families

The LA GATOR Scholarship Program empowers families to customize their child’s education. This page includes everything you need to know about eligibility, funding levels, and award prioritization for the 2025–2026 school year.

Still have questions?

Help Desk Ticket: Submit a Request
Email Help Desk: help.la@withodyssey.com
Call Center: 225-422-1538

LA GATOR Frequently Asked Questions

Latest Update on LA GATOR

June 27, 2025 – Scholarship Notifications Begin for LSP Students

Odyssey has begun notifying eligible Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) students that they will receive a LA GATOR Scholarship for the 2025–2026 school year. These notifications follow the state’s approval of program funding and the renewal of the management contract with Odyssey.

Program Funding Approved

Governor Jeff Landry requested nearly $100 million to fund the first year of the LA GATOR Scholarship Program. The Legislature approved $43.5 million, which is expected to support scholarships for approximately 6,000 eligible students.

Roughly 5,200 scholarships will go to students who participated in the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) during the 2024–2025 school year. These families have now received notification. We will follow up as soon as possible with additional details about the upcoming launch of the LA GATOR marketplace and next steps.
An estimated 800 additional scholarships will go to other high-priority Phase 1 applicants who are not currently in the LSP, such as students from low-income families and students with disabilities. These awards will be prioritized based on when applications were submitted.

Contract Approved to Begin Award Distribution

The Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget (JLCB) approved the renewal of the state’s management contract with Odyssey on June 20, 2025, providing for continued operation and management of the LA GATOR Scholarship Program.

What Families Should Know

Eligible Louisiana Scholarship Program applicants have received notifications through the Odyssey platform.
Other eligible families should continue checking their Odyssey account and lagator.la.gov for updates as additional scholarships are awarded based on prioritization criteria and available funds.
Eligibility does not guarantee funding or school placement. There are a limited number of scholarships, and the vast majority are being awarded to students from the Louisiana Scholarship Program.
Families must work directly with participating schools to complete enrollment.
Registration or reservation fees may be required by schools. These cannot be paid or reimbursed with LA GATOR funds and must be handled by families if they choose to move forward prior to knowing their funding status.
Have a backup plan in place for the 2025–2026 school year, especially if you are not a Louisiana Scholarship Program family. Not all eligible students will receive funding.

Next Steps

Monitor your Odyssey account for updates.
Visit lagator.la.gov for ongoing news and resources.
Review the prioritization criteria to understand how award decisions are being made.

Who’s Eligible

To qualify for the LA GATOR Scholarship Program, your student must:

Be a Louisiana resident
Be between the ages of 5 and 21 by September 30, 2025
And meet one of the following:
- Participated in the Louisiana Scholarship Program during the 2024–2025 school year
- Participated in LA GATOR during the previous school year
- Is entering kindergarten
- Was enrolled in a public school for both October 1 and February 1 of the 2024–2025 school year
- Comes from a household with income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level

Reverification required: Eligibility must be reverified each year to continue participation.

Eligibility ends if the student:

Enrolls full-time in a public school
Moves out of Louisiana
Provides fraudulent information
Graduates or withdraws from school
Has an inactive account for two consecutive years

Funding Prioritization For Eligible Students

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:

Students currently in the Louisiana Scholarship Program or LA GATOR
Students with a disability (IDEA) or family income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level
Siblings of current LA GATOR or LSP participants
All other eligible students

Applications submitted earlier within the window are prioritized over later submissions within the same category.

Award Amounts

Student awards are based on a percentage of the prior year’s Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) per-pupil funding. For 2025–2026, students may receive:

Up to $15,253 for students with a verified disability (IDEA)
$7,626 for students from households earning ≤250% of the federal poverty level
$5,243 for all other eligible students

LSP Students who stay at their current school will continue receiving their 2024–2025 LSP award amount until they finish the school’s final grade or leave the school.

Special Education Funding Tiers

A student is considered eligible for special education funding under LA GATOR if the student is currently eligible for special education and related services as a student with a disability pursuant to Louisiana’s Education of Students with Exceptionalities Act, R.S. 17:1941 et seq. A valid evaluation and/or IEP developed by a Local Educational Agency (as defined in R.S. 17:1942) is required as proof of a student’s current eligibility.

Tiered funding will be determined by the student’s disability as verified in the LDOE’s internal system using the student’s LASID and the family income as verified through the Odyssey platform’s verification process.

Students with a disability that are from families with an income at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPL) will be able to receive funds in addition to the amounts received for students with a disability that are from families above 250% of the FPL.

Please refer to the charts below that detail exceptionalities by tier and the tiered funding calculation.

Exceptionalities Tier

Tier 1 Exceptionalities	Tier 2 Exceptionalities	Tier 3 Exceptionalities
Speech or Language Impairment Specific Learning Disability Intellectual disability (mild) Developmental Delay Emotional Disturbance Other Health Impairment Autism	Intellectual disability (moderate or severe) Deaf or Hard of Hearing Orthopedic Impairment Visual Impairment (partial sight)	Traumatic Brain Injury Multiple Disabilities Deaf-Blindness Visual Impairment (blindness)

Tiered Funding Calculation

	Base Amount	250% FPL Adder	Special Education Tier Funding	Total Funding per Student
At or below 250% FPL with a Tier 1 evaluation	$5,243.00	$2,383.00	$2,621.50	$10,247.50
At or below 250% FPL with a Tier 2 evaluation	$5,243.00	$2,383.00	$3,932.25	$11,558.25
At or below 250% FPL with a Tier 3 evaluation	$5,243.00	$2,383.00	$7,627.00	$15,253.00
Above 250% FPL with a Tier 1 evaluation	$5,243.00	$0	$2,621.50	$7,864.50
Above 250% FPL with a Tier 2 evaluation	$5,243.00	$0	$3,932.25	$9,175.25
Above 250% FPL with a Tier 3 evaluation	$5,243.00	$0	$7,627.00	$12,870.00

Special Education Tier Funding Explanation

Tier 1: $2,621.50 (50% of the base)
Tier 2: $3,932.25 (75% of the base)
Tier 3: $7,627.00 (145% of the base)

The maximum amount that a student with disabilities can be awarded is $15,253 based on the calculation methodology in the act.

Need More Answers?

We’ve moved our family-specific FAQs to the main LA GATOR FAQ page, where you’ll find categorized answers about:

Tuition and payments
Registration fees
Income documentation
Public school enrollment
Assessment requirements
And more!