Nonpublic School Not Seeking State Approval
Nonpublic schools may, but are not required to, seek state approval. Families wishing to independently educate their children have the option of attending a Nonpublic School Not Seeking State Approval or a BESE-Approved Home Study Program. Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval have not met the criteria established by the department for approval, or do not wish to seek state approval.
If families have any questions about implementing a Nonpublic School Not Seeking State Approval, they may contact the LDOE’s toll free number at 1.877.453.2721 or email homestudy@la.gov.
Nonpublic School Not Seeking State Approval Guidelines
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) has created guidelines and instructions that provide valuable information to families and schools about Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval. The LDOE provides similar guidelines for a BESE-Approved Home Study Program.
It is important to note that attending a Nonpublic School Not Seeking State Approval does not serve as confirmation that students are meeting compulsory attendance laws. Additionally, please note that students enrolled in a Nonpublic School Not Seeking State Approval:
- Are not considered enrolled in a BESE-Approved Home Study Program or BESE-Approved Nonpublic School
- Are not eligible for Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) scholarships
- Are not required to take state testing. However, testing is available upon request through the local school system for only the 4th and 8th grade LEAP. Contact the school system in January for applicable testing dates and fees
- Do not receive a diploma carrying the same weight as a state issued diploma. However, students may still receive a diploma in accordance with the Nonpublic School Not Seeking State Approval's policies. However, a diploma received in a BESE-Approved Home Study Program does carry the same weight as a state issued diploma (please see the home study guidance for more information).
Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval Guidelines and Instructions
Attendance Submission
Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval must annually submit enrollment information for their school by using the online attendance submission form. State law outlines the attendance submission process, which is what is required to report a student in a nonpublic school not seeking state approval. Persons entering their email address on the form will receive an attendance submission confirmation letter via email immediately upon completion of the form. The attendance submission confirmation is valid for one year from the date of the letter. In hardship situations, attendance submissions may be submitted by mail.
If you are unable to submit your attendance online due to extenuating circumstances, please email nonpublicschools@la.gov or call the Department's toll free number at 1-877-453-2721.
Please note that the collection of information on Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval by the Louisiana Department of Education does not serve as approval of a home study program for enrolled students, does not make students eligible for Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) scholarships, and does not serve as confirmation that students are meeting compulsory attendance laws. The LDOE cannot confirm whether students attending nonpublic schools not seeking state approval are meeting compulsory attendance and as to whether these organizations meet the statutory definition of a school set forth in R.S. 17:236.
Nonpublic School Not Seeking State Approval Attendance Submission
Withdrawal From Public School
There is no documentation that a parent or legal guardian must provide in order to withdraw a child from school. A public school cannot refuse to let a parent or guardian withdraw their child from school. Parents may officially withdraw their student from their current school prior to enrolling in a Nonpublic School Not Seeking State Approval.
Public School System Notification
For any student who has withdrawn from public school during the school year, or who attended public school the year before enrolling in a nonpublic school, the nonpublic school must provide a written notice of enrollment to the public school the student last attended. This notification may include a request for the student’s transcript.
In accordance with R.S. 17: 221.3, Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval have 10 days of the enrollment of the student to provide the student’s former public school with a notice of enrollment that shall:
- Be provided for a student who has withdrawn from a public school during a given school year, as well as for a student who had attended a public school at the end of the previous school year and enrolled in a private school or adult education program the following school year.
- Be provided only for a student age twenty-one or younger who attended public school in grades kindergarten through twelve immediately prior to the enrollment of such student in the schools or programs required in this Subsection to provide written notice, and who had not completed twelfth grade.
- Be provided directly to the public school that each student had attended immediately prior to enrollment.
- Be a written notification of enrollment which may be a written request for a student's transcript if such transcript request occurs after the student has been accepted for enrollment, with such written request or notification containing at a minimum the student's legal name, date of birth, gender, and race.
- Occur within ten days of the enrollment of such student