Louisiana Scholarship Program

School Requirements

Private schools must be approved by the state to participate; Public schools must be rated “A” or “B” by the state
Comply with health and safety codes
Must not discriminate on basis of race, color, or national origin
Must use an open admissions process in enrolling scholarship recipients
Administer all LA state examinations required under the school and district accountability system
To remain eligible to accept new students, a private school must receive a Scholarship Cohort Index of at least 50
Private schools in operation less than two years cannot have more than 20 percent of students receiving scholarships
Submit to the state an annual independent financial audit conducted by a certified public accountant
Conduct criminal background checks on all school employees
Private schools must maintain a curriculum of quality at least equal to that prescribed for public schools

Student Eligibility

Louisiana resident
Household income that does not exceed 250% of the federal poverty guidelines ($64,375 for a four-person household in 2019)
Either entering kindergarten, enrolled in a public school with a C, D, F, or T grade on both October 1 and February 1 of the current school year or a continuing Scholarship student

Homeschool students and students in grades K-12 who currently attend nonpublic schools are not eligible.

When to Apply

The application period for the Louisiana Scholarship Program has closed. The application window for the 2021-2022 school year will open in November 2020.

Students Enrolled
2019-2020

Applications Received
2019-2020

Participating Schools
2019-2020

Districts With Participating Schools 2019-2020

Approximate Average Scholarship
2019-2020

The publicly funded Louisiana Scholarship Program is designed to provide students with additional opportunities to attend the school of their choice. Student applicants are eligible to receive state-funded scholarships to enroll in participating nonpublic schools or high-performing public schools.