LA

How to Start Homeschooling in Louisiana (2026)

Louisiana law treats a child in a home study program approved by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education as attending a day school solely for purposes of compulsory attendance in a nonpublic school, and requires a parent to apply to the Board within fifteen days after the program begins and to file a renewal application by the first of October of the school year or within twelve months of approval of the initial application, whichever is later (R.S. 17:236 and 17:236.1).

Legal framework

Under Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:236, a child who participates in a home study program approved by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is considered in attendance at a day school for compulsory attendance in a nonpublic school, and a program is approved if it offers a sustained curriculum of a quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level. R.S. 17:236.1(A) requires a parent or legal guardian to apply to the Board: an initial application within fifteen days after the program begins, accompanied by a certified copy of the child's birth certificate (17:236.1(B)), and a renewal application by the first of October of the school year, or within twelve months of approval of the initial application, whichever is later. The initial application is 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 (17:236.1(B)). A renewal is approved if the parent submits satisfactory evidence that the program has offered a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level, such as outlines of subjects taught, lists of books and materials, and copies of the student's work (17:236.1(C)), or, instead of that packet, a qualifying test result or a statement from a teacher certified at the child's grade level (17:236.1(D)).