Louisiana homeschool law for high school: graduation, diploma and records

La. R.S. 17:221 requires a child of compulsory age to attend a public or nonpublic school as defined by R.S. 17:236; R.S. 17:236 treats a BESE-approved home study program as attendance at a day school solely for compulsory attendance purposes, and R.S. 17:236.1 sets the approval and renewal process. The second route is a nonpublic school that receives no public funds and does not seek state approval (R.S. 17:236, 17:232(C)). Since July 1, 2024, R.S. 17:236 also treats participation in the LA GATOR Scholarship Program (R.S. 17:4037.1 et seq.) as attendance at a day school solely for compulsory attendance purposes.

La. R.S. 17:221(A)(1)(b); La. R.S. 17:236(A); La. R.S. 17:236.1; La. R.S. 17:232(C)

The law as of September 29, 2026.

Louisiana at a glance

As of September 29, 2026

Notice to the state: Depends on the option
Home study: an initial application to BESE is due within 15 days after the program begins, with a certified copy of the child's birth certificate, and a renewal application is due by October 1 of the school year or within 12 months of approval of the initial application, whichever is later; BESE notifies the local superintendent. Nonpublic school not seeking approval: the school reports its total attendance to LDOE as of the thirtieth day of its term (LDOE collects this annually through an online attendance submission), and for a child who attended public school immediately before enrolling, the school must send the former public school a written notice of enrollment (legal name, date of birth, gender and race) within 10 days of enrollment.La. R.S. 17:236.1(A)-(B); La. R.S. 17:232(C); La. R.S. 17:221.3(B); LDOE, Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval Guidelines and Instructions
Records the law asks for: Depends on the option
Home study: to renew, the parent submits either a packet showing the program offered a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to public schools (such as an outline of each subject, lists of books and materials, copies of the student's work, standardized tests and third-party statements), or one of the alternatives in R.S. 17:236.1(D) (a qualifying test result or a certified teacher's statement). Nonpublic school not seeking approval: no statute requires the family to submit student records, but the school must, on request of the local school system, state whether a student is enrolled and is fulfilling compulsory attendance, and LDOE's guidelines say such schools are to maintain attendance records.La. R.S. 17:236.1(C)-(D); La. R.S. 17:232(C)-(D); LDOE, Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval Guidelines and Instructions
Testing or evaluation: Depends on the option
No test is mandatory under either route. For a home study renewal, the parent may submit, instead of the packet of materials, verification that the child passed the state competency-based examination or scored at or above grade level (or progressed one grade level per year) on the California Achievement Test or another board-approved standardized test, or a certified teacher's statement; the local school board and LDOE must administer the state examination on a parent's request for a fee of up to $35. LDOE states that students in a nonpublic school not seeking approval are not required to take state tests but may take the 4th and 8th grade LEAP on request.La. R.S. 17:236.1(C)-(F); LDOE, BESE-Approved Home Study Program; LDOE, Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval
Graduation requirements: None set by the state
Louisiana sets no course or credit requirements for graduation from a home study program or a nonpublic school not seeking approval; the home study standard is a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level. For TOPS, a student who completes an approved home study program is not held to the TOPS core curriculum and grade point average requirements and qualifies on the test score.La. R.S. 17:236.1(B)-(C); La. R.S. 17:5029(B)(2); Résumé Digest, Act 359 (HB 378), 2025 Regular Session
Diploma: Issued by: parent (home study program) or the school (nonpublic school not seeking approval)
A high school diploma awarded by a BESE-approved home study program must be treated by all public postsecondary institutions and all state and local government entities as having all the rights and privileges of a diploma awarded by a state-approved nonpublic school; LDOE states that parents create and issue these diplomas, that BESE and LDOE do not award them, and that state seals may not be reproduced on them. LDOE states that a diploma from a nonpublic school not seeking state approval, issued under that school's own policies, does not carry the same weight as a state-issued diploma.La. R.S. 17:236.1(G); LDOE, BESE-Approved Home Study Program Guidelines; LDOE, Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval
Compulsory school ages: From age 5 (by September 30 of the calendar year in which the school year begins) through 18, unless the parent deferred kindergarten enrollment under R.S. 17:151.3(D) or the child graduates from high school before turning 18; a child under 5 who legally enrolls in school is also covered.La. R.S. 17:221(A)(1)(b)

The legal options for homeschooling in Louisiana

BESE-approved home study programA parent applies to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) for approval within 15 days after the program begins and renews each year; an initial application is approved if the parent certifies the program will offer a sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to that offered by public schools at the same grade level. Solely for purposes of compulsory attendance, a child in an approved home study program is considered in attendance at a day school. Basis: statuteLa. R.S. 17:236.1(A)-(B); La. R.S. 17:236(A)
Nonpublic school not seeking state approval (sometimes called a registered nonpublic school)A nonpublic school that receives no local, state or federal funds may operate without BESE approval, with instructional staff meeting whatever requirements the school or church prescribes, and must report its total attendance to the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) as of the thirtieth day of its term. LDOE states that it cannot confirm whether such a school meets the definition of a school in R.S. 17:236 or whether its students are meeting compulsory attendance, and that these students are not eligible for TOPS. Basis: statuteLa. R.S. 17:236(A); La. R.S. 17:232(C); LDOE, Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval

What Louisiana law means for your transcript

TOPS for a home study graduate turns on BESE approval and the test score rather than the transcript, because R.S. 17:5029(B)(2) applies only the test score part of the academic requirements (R.S. 17:5024(B)(1)), not the core curriculum or GPA; keeping each year's BESE approval letter, especially for grades 11 and 12, is sound practice, not a legal requirement.
No Louisiana law defines a high school credit for home study; the 120-hour Carnegie unit is a common convention, not a requirement.
A public or nonpublic school that admits a former home study student sets the grade level or Carnegie credits through its own screening and testing (R.S. 17:236.2; LDOE home study guidelines), so a parent transcript does not bind a school on re-entry.
For a nonpublic school not seeking approval, LDOE does not keep student records, and LDOE's guidelines say the parent or administrator must supply proof of education when a college, employer or the military asks for it.

College admission and state aid for Louisiana homeschoolers

Public postsecondary institutions must give a diploma awarded by a BESE-approved home study program the rights and privileges of a state-approved nonpublic school diploma (R.S. 17:236.1(G)). A student who completes an approved home study program is eligible for a TOPS award if a parent certifies completion at the twelfth grade level, the student meets the ACT requirement and the other general conditions, and, if the student previously attended a Louisiana public or BESE-approved nonpublic high school, the student began approved home study no later than the end of 10th grade and supplies a good-standing certification from the prior school (R.S. 17:5029(B)); from the 2025-2026 award year, home study students need the same minimum test scores as other students under R.S. 17:5024(B)(1) (ACT, or a concordant SAT or Classic Learning Test score: TOPS-Tech 17, Opportunity at least the prior year's state average and never less than 20, Performance 23, Honors 27). LDOE states that students in a nonpublic school not seeking state approval are not eligible for TOPS.La. R.S. 17:236.1(G); La. R.S. 17:5029(B); La. R.S. 17:5024(B)(1); Résumé Digest, Act 359 (HB 378), 2025 Regular Session; LDOE, Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval

Recent changes to Louisiana homeschool law

Act 1 of 2024 (SB 313), effective July 1, 2024, created the LA GATOR education savings account program and amended R.S. 17:236 so that LA GATOR participation counts as attendance at a day school solely for compulsory attendance; LDOE states that students in a BESE-approved home study program or a nonpublic school not seeking state approval cannot participate in LA GATOR. Act 715 of 2024 (HB 644), effective August 1, 2024, added R.S. 17:176.2: a public school may not disqualify an approved home study student who lives in its attendance zone from extracurricular activities or interscholastic athletics solely because of home study enrollment. Act 358 of 2025 (HB 371), effective June 20, 2025, added R.S. 13:5233.1, under which government may not restrict or deny use of a qualifying place of worship for a meeting of two or more parents or children participating in a home study program. Act 359 of 2025 (HB 378), effective August 1, 2025, removed the higher ACT score previously required of home study students for TOPS, starting with the 2025-2026 award year. HB 550 (2024), which would have replaced BESE approval with a one-time notice, failed House final passage and is not law.

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What we could not confirm

These points could not be checked against the statute or regulation text, so treat them with care:

The 180-day school year for home study and nonpublic schools not seeking approval comes from LDOE's home study guidelines and HSLDA; R.S. 17:236(A) sets a 180-day minimum session for an institution to be classified as a school, and Subsection B made that provision inapplicable for the 2005-2006 school year, so we did not confirm how BESE applies it to home study today.
We did not open the LOSFA TOPS rules in the Louisiana Administrative Code (Title 28, Part IV); TOPS eligibility is stated from R.S. 17:5029, R.S. 17:5024(B) and the Act 359 résumé digest, and the other general TOPS conditions (residency, citizenship, enrollment timing under R.S. 17:5022, 5023, 5027 and 5028) are not summarized here.
LDOE's home study guidelines read the TOPS rule as requiring enrollment in approved home study for both grades 11 and 12; the statute itself requires parent certification of completion at the twelfth grade level and, for students who previously attended a Louisiana public or approved nonpublic high school, a start no later than the end of 10th grade.
We could not read LDOE's LA GATOR FAQ (it loads dynamically), so we did not confirm whether LA GATOR funds may be used for home-based education without enrollment in a participating school, or the program's eligibility phase-in.
The August 1, 2024 effective date of Act 715 comes from the legislature's bill history page; we did not open the enrolled act.
We did not find a 2026 Regular Session act amending R.S. 17:221, 17:236, 17:236.1 or 17:5029 (the statute pages list no 2026 acts), but we could not run a full keyword search of 2026 acts.

Sources

General information about Louisiana law as of September 29, 2026, not legal advice. Laws change, so check the statute before you rely on it. Found an error? Email [email protected].