Louisiana Homeschool Laws and Requirements
What Louisiana requires, in plain English — and a free way to track it without spreadsheets. Log activities, watch your pace, and generate records when you need them.
The short answer
Louisiana has moderate homeschool requirements. Families must homeschool at least 180 days per year, and you'll file notice with the state Department of Education.
Louisiana at a glance
Verified September 2026- Required days
- 180 days/year
- Required subjects
- Your choice
- Notice
- Required each year
- Testing / evaluation
- Not required
- Recordkeeping
- Recommended
Jump to the full Louisiana requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.
Free tool
Calculate your homeschool pace
Louisiana tracks days, not hours. We suggest aiming for 900 hours/year as a personal target. Enter your end date to see the pace.
Leave at 0 if you haven't started tracking yet.
Add your school year end date to see your pace.
—
left
—
per week
—
per day
We'll set up your dashboard with this goal. You can change it any time. No credit card required.
What Homeschool Fox tracks for Louisiana
Louisiana leaves the records to you. Keep them in one place anyway. No spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.
- Days toward your 180-day goal
- Days attended
- Daily activity logs
- Printable PDF reports
- Progress tracking
- High school transcripts
See it work
Log a homeschool day in seconds
Type or speak what you did in plain English. Homeschool Fox sorts it into subjects, adds up the time, and updates your Louisiana progress automatically.
You write
Homeschool Fox logs
- Reading 45 min
- Math 30 min
- History / Social Studies 20 min
Today's total
1 hr 35 min
Your Louisiana requirements, in plain English
Tap any item for the details.
Notice requirements
Required
Required days
180 days/yr
Required subjects
Your choice
Testing / evaluation
Not required
Recordkeeping & portfolio
Recommended
Withdrawing from public school
Letter + notice
Full guide
Homeschooling in Louisiana: the complete guide
Homeschooling in Louisiana sits squarely in the middle of the country's regulatory spectrum. Families have real freedom to teach how they see fit, but the state does ask for a filing and a set amount of instruction each year. Because the compulsory attendance age in Louisiana runs from 5-18, families plan their homeschool schedule around that window.
The Louisiana statute's focus is on consistency more than minute-tracking. Families teach for at least 180 school days a year and are trusted to define those days around their household's real schedule.
Families in Louisiana file a notice of intent with the state Department of Education each year. The withdrawal section below gives the deadline and the form. Louisiana sets what the notice has to carry. Where the state publishes its own form, start from that rather than a letter of your own.
Homeschool Fox was built to make the bookkeeping side of Louisiana homeschooling invisible. Log the day in plain English or by voice, and the hours, attendance, and subject coverage add up on their own, ready to print whenever you need them.
Notice requirements
Notice is required
Yes, Louisiana requires you to file notice of your intent to homeschool. You must notify the state Department of Education. The notice is filed again each school year.
Need a head start? Use the free Notice of Intent generator to draft your Louisiana filing, then check the withdrawal section below for the form or affidavit Louisiana expects it on.
Deeper guides: how to write a notice of intent to homeschool covers the language admins look for, and when and where to file your notice of intent covers state-by-state deadlines and recipients.
Generate your notice of intentWithdrawing from public school
What you file after leaving a Louisiana public school depends on your route. A nonpublic school not seeking state approval, the route more families use, files an enrollment submission with the Department of Education. BESE-approved home study needs an application within 15 days of starting, then a renewal each year. Either way, notify your child's current public school so attendance reflects the change, and keep a copy of what you file.
For the play-by-play, how to withdraw your child from public school walks through the conversation, the timing, and the paperwork. What to send the district when you pull your child covers exactly what the letter should and shouldn't say.
Assessment requirements
Assessment not required
Louisiana does not require standardized testing or formal assessment.
Portfolio & records
Portfolio not required
While Louisiana doesn't mandate a portfolio, keeping records is still recommended.
Looking for curriculum?
Browse our curriculum directory to find the right fit for your family, then log the year in Homeschool Fox.
School choice & ESA
Open, but you stop being a homeschoolerProgram
LA GATOR Scholarship Program
Who qualifies and what you give up
Phased rollout reaches families up to 400% FPL in Phase 2 (2026-27); Phase 1 prioritized students from low-performing schools and families ≤250% FPL. Award is income-tiered, roughly $5,243–$7,626 per student (up to ~$15,253 for students with documented disabilities). Funds may be used for curriculum, tutoring, therapy, testing, and tuition at participating private schools through the Odyssey vendor portal.
The legal-status tradeoff is the central catch for Louisiana homeschoolers. A student receiving GATOR funds cannot remain enrolled in BESE-approved Home Study or in the non-public-school-not-seeking-approval path — the two cannot be held concurrently. GATOR participants are subject to state-mandated norm-referenced testing, vendor approval through Odyssey, and program reporting. For families currently using Louisiana's existing home-study route, taking GATOR means stepping out of that legal track for the duration of participation; for families willing to accept the testing and vendor restrictions, the dollars are real.
Deeper guides: homeschool ESAs explained — which states offer them in 2026 covers eligibility and the trade-offs you sign up for. How to use an ESA for homeschool curriculum walks through what's reimbursable and where families get stuck.
If you use the ESA, Homeschool Fox keeps receipts and learning plans in one place.
Tax credits & deductions
Louisiana's deduction for home-schooled children's educational expenses under R.S. 47:297.11 lets a family deduct 50 percent of qualified expenses per child, capped at $6,000 per child per year and at the family's taxable income. Three children can cut Louisiana taxable income by up to $18,000.
The statute names textbooks and curricula as qualified expenses. The Department of Revenue says the taxpayer must be approved by BESE for home-schooling, so the deduction fits BESE-approved home study. A family on the nonpublic school route, which does not seek state approval, does not meet that test. Claim it on Schedule E of Form IT-540, attach the School Expense Deduction Worksheet, and keep every receipt. There is no income limit; the cash value is the deduction times your Louisiana tax rate.
Deeper guides: homeschool tax credits and deductions by state for 2026 covers every state with a credit, and are homeschool expenses tax-deductible — an honest breakdown covers the boundaries on what counts and which gimmicks to avoid.
Tax laws change. Check your Louisiana Department of Revenue page (or talk to a CPA) before filing — the figures above reflect our last verified review (September 2026).
Additional notes
Louisiana has two homeschool routes, and the requirements on this page follow the one more families use: a nonpublic school not seeking state approval, which files an enrollment submission with the Louisiana Department of Education each year. BESE-approved home study (R.S. 17:236.1) is an application renewed every year and approved when the program offers a sustained curriculum at least equal to the public schools'. The Department holds both routes to 180 days of instruction.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to notify anyone to homeschool in Louisiana?
How many hours do I need to homeschool in Louisiana?
Does Louisiana require testing for homeschoolers?
Do I need to keep a portfolio in Louisiana?
What subjects must I teach in Louisiana?
Nearby states
View all statesHow Louisiana compares
Nine rules side by side with the states families move between most, and what changes in each direction.
- Louisiana vs Arkansas (4 rules differ)
- Louisiana vs Mississippi (4 rules differ)
- Louisiana vs Texas (5 rules differ)
Want the cross-state comparison? Homeschool laws by state covers the legal regime in every state side by side.
Common mistakes in Louisiana
-
Assuming every Louisiana homeschool applies for approval
Louisiana has two routes. BESE-approved home study is an application the state grants and renews each year, closer to a license than a notice. A nonpublic school not seeking state approval, the route more Louisiana families use, files an enrollment submission with the Department of Education instead. Know which route you are on before you plan the year's paperwork.
-
Letting the home study renewal slide
Under BESE-approved home study, approval lapses if the annual application does not go in. Families who filed once and assumed the status carried forward are the ones who find out in October that they are unapproved.
Free Louisiana printables
Two ready-to-use PDFs for Louisiana homeschoolers. No account needed.
Templates, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule with your state or district.
Get notified when Louisiana changes its rules
We track Louisiana's statute and department pages and email you when the requirements move. Free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Louisiana last verified September 25, 2026.
Reviewed and sourced
Last verified: September 2026. We review Louisiana's requirements against official sources and update this page when the rules change.
Our monitor last confirmed the source pages were live on Sep 28, 2026.
Sources
Homeschool Fox is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. We turn public homeschool requirements into practical tracking tools for families. Always confirm details with your state or a qualified advisor.
More Louisiana guides
Louisiana in context: one of 19 states that require hours or days · one of 36 states that require notice.
- How to Start Homeschooling in Louisiana A step-by-step guide from withdrawal to your first logged day.
- Homeschooling High School in Louisiana Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
- Record Keeping in Louisiana What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.
- How to Withdraw From School in Louisiana The steps, the letter, and timing to avoid truancy issues.
- Moving to Louisiana What to file when you arrive and whether your records transfer.
- Public School Sports in Louisiana Whether homeschoolers can play, what it takes, and who to ask.
- Homeschool Days Required in Louisiana The number, what counts toward it, and the pace to hit it.
- Louisiana Letter of Intent Who to file with, when it's due, and a free generator.
- ESA & School Choice in Louisiana Funding amounts, who qualifies, and the trade-offs.
Ready to track your homeschool requirements?
Set up your Louisiana-specific dashboard, log your first activity, and see your progress.
Start tracking free14-day free trial. No credit card required.