Louisiana Scholarship Program
The Louisiana Scholarship Program provides thousands of low-income families with the opportunity to send their child to the participating school of their choice. Launched in 2008 in New Orleans, the Louisiana Scholarship Program, formally known as the Student Scholarships for Education Excellence Program, was expanded statewide in 2012. Annually, this program receives approximately 10,000 applications for a Scholarship and affords approximately 7,000 students the opportunity to enroll in a Scholarship-funded seat in a nonpublic school. Over 120 nonpublic schools participate in the program.
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.
Eligible Students
The Louisiana Scholarship Program is designed to provide students with additional opportunities to attend the school of their choice. 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.
Student Eligibility Requirements
- Louisiana resident
- Household income that does not exceed 250% of the federal poverty guidelines
- New student applicants are students who do not have a Scholarship award for the current school year
- Student attended a “C”, “D”, “F”, or “T” public school on both October 1 and February 1 of the 2023-2024 academic school year
- Students applying to kindergarten must be entering kindergarten for the first time or coming from a C, D, F or T school and must be 5 on or before September 30, 2023.
- Students who participate in the NSECD PK4 program are considered new student applicants for the Scholarship Program
Students in grades K-12 who are currently homeschooled or who currently attend a nonpublic school are not eligible.
Student Applications
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Submitting an application does not guarantee that a student will receive an award for the Louisiana Scholarship Program. Families that have questions regarding the application process should reach out to studentscholarships@la.gov.
Eligible Nonpublic Schools
To be eligible to participate in the Louisiana Scholarship Program, nonpublic schools must be both BESE approved and Brumfield v. Dodd compliant. BESE approval confirms that schools utilize a curriculum of quality at least equal that prescribed for similar public schools. Brumfield v. Dodd compliance confirms that BESE-approved nonpublic schools do not use racially discriminatory policies and practices.
All nonpublic schools wishing to participate in the Louisiana Scholarship Program must complete the following annually:
- BESE Application
- Brumfield v. Dodd Application
- NOI (Notice of Intent) Form
Scholarship students must take the same assessments as students in public schools. Student achievement on these assessments is used to determine the status of a school’s continued participation in the program.
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of School Choice at studentscholarships@la.gov. Response time for emails is about two business days.