• (§1529 of Program Rules) The LDOE shall contract with an independent audit firm to conduct a compliance audit to ensure funds are used only for allowable expenses and other provisions in the program as deemed appropriate.
  • The LDOE shall maintain a copy of the audit plan and all associated audit reports in accordance with the records retention schedule approved by the Secretary of State.
  • Financial audits of the program and accounts to ensure that expenditures are made in accordance with the law and regulations, including, at minimum, an annual random audit.

• All program rules, regulations, operating procedures, and program information will be accessible at lagator.la.gov.

• For the 2025-2026 school year, the award will be the following:
  • for a student identified as having a disability consistent with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. § 1401, an award up to one hundred sixty percent of the amount, or up to $15,253;
    • Amounts awarded will be calculated according to a tiered methodology established by the LDOE;
  • for a student from a family with a total income that does not exceed two hundred fifty percent of the federal poverty guidelines, an award equal to eighty percent of the amount, or $7,626 ;
  • for any other student, an award equal to fifty-five percent of the amount, or $5,243
• Families may be responsible for tuition and fee amounts that exceed the amount paid by the student’s LA GATOR Program account.

• All phases of the LA GATOR Program give some level of priority to students at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
• The HHS Poverty Guidelines are updated annually and can be found at https://aspe.hhs.gov.
• According to 2024 Guidelines, the poverty guidelines for a family of 4 is $31,200.
• Students from families at or below 250% of that level would be eligible and prioritized for the LA GATOR Program (250% of $31,200 is $78,000).

2024 Poverty Guidelines for the 48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia

For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $5,380 for each additional person.

According to state law, a student shall not participate in the LA GATOR concurrently with any of the following:

• A home study program approved by the state board
• A home study program registered with the department as a nonpublic schools not seeking state approval
• The Course Choice Program
• The School Choice Program for Certain Students with Exceptionalities
• The Tuition Donation Tax Credit Program

Students may be eligible to receive additional funding from 3rd party sources provided that those sources are not listed above or prohibited by law.

LA GATOR rules (§1525) require the annual administration of the following for participating students:

• assessment in ELA and mathematics required pursuant to the school and district accountability system at the prescribed grade level; or
• a nationally norm-referenced test or assessment in ELA and mathematics approved by BESE and provided by the participating school or, as applicable, service provider.

• No, ESL is not considered an exceptionality for account funding. Exceptionalities in the LA GATOR Program only include disabilities as indicated by IDEA.
• ESL students would not be considered differently than other students exclusively for the ESL status for the purposes of LA GATOR.

• The LA GATOR Program rules include “tuition or fees for summer education programs and before or after-school education or childcare programs that offer academic support” as an eligible expense.
• Participating nonpublic schools wishing to offer these services would need to separately apply to LA GATOR as a service provider and include those offered services on their profile.

• Eligibility will extend to all Louisiana students during Phase 3 of the Program’s implementation.
• Phases 1-3 of the LA GATOR Scholarship Program are not dependent on specific dates. Phase changes are subject to funding allocated by the legislature and will be communicated by the LDOE in accordance with BESE policy.