Louisiana
State Legislature
Louisiana Homeschool Laws
Louisiana Home Schooling
Compulsory School Age
You can choose to submit examination
scores or use a portfolio under the home-study option. If you use the
private school option to homeschool there is no testing or portfolio
review of any kind.
Required number of days per year - 180
In Louisiana the options when deciding to
homeschool include registering as a private school or pursuing
state-approved home study. For state-approved home study, homeschoolers
follow the guidelines of the Department of Education. To choose the
private school option, parents register with the state of Louisiana as a
private school by sending in an annual letter of intent indicating the
number of children enrolled.
LA. R.S. 17:236 DEFINITION OF A SCHOOL
For the purposes of this Chapter, a school is defined as an
institution for the teaching of children consisting of an adequate
physical plant, whether owned or leased, instructional staff members,
and students. For such an institution to be classified as a school,
within the meaning of this Chapter, instructional staff members shall
meet the following requirements: if a public day school or a nonprofit
school which receives local, state, or federal funds or support,
directly or indirectly, they shall be certified in accordance with rules
established by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education; if a
nonpublic school which receives no local, state, or federal funds or
support, directly or indirectly, they shall meet such requirements as
may be prescribed by the school or the church. In addition, any such
institution, to be classified as a school, shall operate a minimum
session of not less than one hundred eighty (180) days. Solely for
purposes of compulsory attendance in a nonpublic school, a child who
participates in a home study program approved by the Board of Elementary
and Secondary Education shall be considered in attendance at a day
school; a home study program shall be approved if it offers a sustained
curriculum of a quality at least equal to that offered by public schools
at the same grade level.
LA. R.S. 17:221 Subpart C. SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
A. (1) Every parent, tutor, or other person residing within the state
of Louisiana, having control or charge of any child from that child's
seventh (7th) birthday until his seventeenth (17th) eighteenth birthday,
shall send such child to a public or private day school, unless the
child graduates from high school prior to his seventeenth eighteenth
birthday. Any child below the age of seven (7) who legally enrolls in
school shall also be subject to the provision of this Subpart. Every
parent, tutor, or other person responsible for sending a child to a
public or private day school under provisions of this Subpart shall also
assure the attendance of such child in regularly assigned classes during
regular school hours established by the school board.
LA. R.S. 17:154.1. LENGTH OF SCHOOL DAY AND YEAR; REQUIREMENTS
(for public schools - listed here for information purposes only)
A.(1) The minimum school day for grades one through twelve in every
public school in the state shall consist of three hundred sixty minutes
of instructional time, exclusive of all recesses. The minimum school
year shall consist of no less than one hundred seventy-five days of
instruction. However, in order to provide teacher training, provide for
the safety and well-being of students, or implement other educational
reform efforts, any governing authority of a public elementary or
secondary school may authorize some or all of its schools to modify the
total number of instructional minutes per day and instructional days per
year as long as the total number of instructional minutes per year is no
less than the minimum number of instructional minutes per day multiplied
by the minimum number of instructional days as required by this Section.
B. With the authorization of the State Board of Elementary and
Secondary Education, the local school superintendent shall have the
authority to dismiss any or all schools in his system due to emergency
situations as defined by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education in accordance with rules and regulations of the board which
the board shall adopt as provided in the Administrative Procedure Act.
Nothing herein shall be construed to allow a school year to be less than
one hundred seventy-five days of instruction, except as provided in
Subsection A of this Section.
This section applies only to those who register as a Home-Study
School. Please note that the state will contact the local school
district of your intent to homeschool.
LA. R.S. 17:236.1 APPROVAL OF HOME STUDY PROGRAMS
A. A parent or legal guardian shall apply to the Board of Elementary
and Secondary Education for approval of a home study program. An initial
application must be made within fifteen (15) days after commencement of
the program. A renewal application must be made by the first (1st) of
October of the school year, or within twelve months of approval of the
initial application, whichever is later. The Board of Elementary and
Secondary Education, upon receipt of such initial or renewal
application, shall immediately notify the city or parish school
superintendent within whose jurisdiction the home study is being
conducted of such application and also shall notify said superintendent
of subsequent actions taken by the board on the application.
B. An initial application for participation in a home study program
shall be accompanied by a certified copy of the birth certificate of the
child. The initial application or, during the 1984-85 school year, a
renewal application, shall be approved if the parent certifies that the
home study program will offer a sustained curriculum of quality at least
equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level.
C. (1) After the 1984-85 school year, a renewal application for
participation in a home study program shall be approved if the parent
submits the board satisfactory evidence that the program has in fact
offered a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered
by public schools at the same grade level. To substantiate this fact,
the parent shall submit with the renewal application a packet of
material which includes such documents as:
(a) A complete outline of each of the subjects taught during the
previous year,
(b) Lists of books and materials used,
(c) Copies of the student's work,
(d) Copies of standardized tests,
(e) Statements by third parties who have observed the child's
progress, and
(f) Any other evidence of the quality of the program being offered.
(2) If the material submitted is inadequate, the Department of
Education shall notify the parent of the deficiencies and request
additional materials.
(3) On the basis of all the information submitted, the Board of
Elementary and Secondary Education shall determine whether the program
offers a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered
in public schools at the same grade level and shall approve or
disapprove the application accordingly.
D. After the 1984-85 school year, a renewal application shall be
approved if, in lieu of submission of the packet of materials provided
in the previous Subsection, the parent submits with the application any
The following:
(1) Verification that the child has taken the competency-based
education examination provided in R.S. 17:24.4 and scored at or above
the passing level established by the Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education for public school students at his grade level.
(2) Verification that the child has taken the California Achievement
Test (CAT) or such other standardized examination as may be approved by
the Board and the child has scored at or above his grade level or the
child has progressed at a rate equal to one grade level for each year in
home study program.
(3) A statement from a teacher certified to teach at the child's
grade level that the teacher has examined the program being offered and
that, in this professional opinion, the child is being taught in
accordance with a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that
offered by public schools at the same grade level or, in the case of
children with mental or physical disabilities, at least equal to that
offered by public schools to children with similar disabilities. Any
such teacher's evaluation provided for in the Subsection shall be
subject to review and approval of the State Board of Education.
E. (1) In May and September of each year and on such other dates as
may be determined by the city or parish superintendent of schools, the
local school board shall, upon request of a parent whose child is
participating in a home study program, administer the competency-based
education examination to the child. The test shall be administered with
the same instructions and under similar conditions as provided children
enrolled in the public schools.
(2) The local school board may charge a fee for this service not the
exceed thirty-five ($35.00) dollars.
(3) The certified teacher administering the examination shall
promptly provide the parent a statement indicating the child's score and
whether he passed the examination.
F. (1) In May and September of each year and on such other dates as
may be determined by the state superintendent of elementary and
secondary education the Department of Education shall upon the request
of the parent, administer the competency-based education examination to
any child enrolled in a home study program or enrolled in a private
school. The test shall be administered with the same instructions and
under similar conditions as provided children enrolled in the public
schools.
(2) The Department of Education may charge a fee for this service not
to exceed thirty-five ($35.00) dollars.
(3) The certified teacher administering the examination shall
promptly provide the parent a statement indicating the child's score and
whether he passed the examination.
LA. R.S. 17:11 APPROVAL OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS BY BOARD
A. The board shall adopt standards and guidelines which shall be
applied in determining whether a private or proprietary school applying
for approval meets the requirements of a sustained curriculum or
specialized course of study of quality at least equal to that prescribed
for similar public schools. The board shall appoint an advisory
committee of private and proprietary school representatives, who shall
advise and counsel with the board relative to standards and guidelines
affecting these schools. After initial approval the board shall
periodically determine whether the private school is maintaining such
quality and if not, shall discontinue approval of the school.
B. The board shall approve any private elementary, secondary, or
proprietary school which makes application therefor on a form furnished
by the board, if such school meets and maintains a sustained curriculum
or specialized course of study of quality at least equal to that
prescribed for similar public schools.
C. All certificates and diplomas issued by an approved private school
shall carry the same privileges as one issued by a state public school.
