LA GATOR Scholarship Program: Requirements, Eligibility, and Opportunities

The Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise (LA GATOR) Scholarship Program is a new initiative designed to empower parents with greater control over their children's education. This program aims to provide families with additional educational opportunities beyond the traditional public school system, allowing them to access state tax dollars for private or faith-based schools, homeschooling support, or customized educational programs.

Purpose of the LA GATOR Scholarship Program

The LA GATOR Scholarship Program recognizes that parents are the best advocates for their children's educational needs. The program enables parents and legal guardians to utilize state tax dollars to enroll their children in private or faith-based schools, support homeschooling endeavors, or design a customized educational program using a combination of public and private providers. Educational services can be delivered through in-person instruction, online platforms, or a hybrid approach that combines both.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility for the LA GATOR program is being implemented in three phases. A timeline has not been established for when the phases will begin, or the duration of each phase. In the initial phase (Phase 1), eligibility is determined by meeting one of the following criteria:

Participation in the Student Scholarships in Educational Excellence Program for the previous school year.
Entering kindergarten.
Enrollment in a public school for the previous school year.
Family with a total income not exceeding 250% of the Federal Poverty Level ($80,375 for a family of four).

Phase 2 will expand eligibility to students with a family household income of less than 450% of the federal poverty guidelines. Phase 3 will make every Louisiana student, regardless of family household income, eligible to participate. The timing of Phase 2 and Phase 3 will be determined by state officials at a later date.

Students are eligible to participate through in-person, virtual education, or through a hybrid approach utilizing both in-person and virtual, or remote, education options.

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Priority for LA GATOR Program

Students participating in the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program, an existing Louisiana choice voucher program, receive priority for the LA GATOR program during phase one. According to the Louisiana Department of Education page regarding that older program, “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.” The T letter grade refers to public schools in the Recovery School District. The Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program will be administered through the end of the 2024-2025 school year, and effective June 30, 2025, no further scholarships will be awarded through the program.

Scholarship Amounts

Louisiana’s State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) has proposed the following scholarship amounts for the 2025-2026 school year, based on student characteristics. These funding amounts may be adjusted each year.

$15,253 for students having a disability consistent with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
$7,626 for students with a family household income that does not exceed 250% of the federal poverty guidelines
$5,243 for other participating students

How Funds Can Be Used

Scholarship program funds can be used to cover the cost of private school tuition and fees, courses and/or services from providers, instructional materials and supplies, technology, assessments, and other approved educational expenses. At a minimum, they must support a student’s learning of core academic subjects: English language arts, math, science, and social studies. After these core areas are supported, remaining funds can be used on other approved educational expenses like electives, enrichment, tutoring, school uniforms, before- and after-school care, and much more. The Louisiana Department of Education will publish further guidance at a later date.

Participating Schools and Service Providers

Schools and service providers must be approved by the state in order to receive LA GATOR Scholarship Program funds to serve participating students. Visit lagator.la.gov for a list of participating schools and providers. The Louisiana Department of Education and its program administrator are working to ensure that many diverse vendors from around the state, as well as in the online marketplace, will accept LA GATOR Scholarship Program funds. Visit lagator.la.gov for a list of participating schools and providers.

Payment Process

The Louisiana Department of Education’s program manager will transfer scholarship funds from each student’s account to his or her parent’s chosen school, service providers, and/or vendors, subject to meeting program requirements. No cash will be exchanged and no funds will be provided directly to participating students or their families. Audits will be performed to ensure that funds are spent only on allowable educational expenses from approved entities and other program requirements are followed.

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Funding and Future of the Program

An appropriation of funds by the legislature each year shall fund the program. An appropriation has not been made for the program at this time. The number of students who can be served each year, however, will ultimately depend on the amount of funding approved by the Louisiana Legislature and the Governor.

Louisiana is on track to provide ALL students the opportunity to receive an individualized K-12 education through this program. Over time, this program has the potential to revolutionize K-12 education in Louisiana by growing a robust marketplace where families can meet their child’s unique learning needs.

Nondiscrimination

Nonpublic schools must be approved by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education as compliant with Brumfield et al. v. Dodd et al., 425 F. Supp. 528 (E.D. La.

Important Dates

Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, students participating in the program intending to use funds for only one participating school or service provider may enroll in LA GATOR. Enrollment for these students shall be made available by the department no later than March 1, 2025. Accounts will be funded quarterly by the State Department of Education.

How to Stay Informed

Sign up to receive important updates about the LA GATOR Scholarship Program as there are new developments about this exciting new program! Visit lagator.la.gov for the latest information and guidance from the Louisiana Department of Education.

Challenges and Concerns

Despite the promise of the LA GATOR Scholarship Program, some families have experienced disappointment due to limited funding and high demand. In the initial year, nearly 40,000 students applied for approximately 6,000 available scholarships. Priority was given based on criteria outlined in state law. Parents like Jackie Richard have expressed frustration upon learning that their children were not selected for a scholarship shortly before the school year began.

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