Louisiana GATOR Scholarship (LA GATOR)
LA GATOR is an education savings account. $5,243 to $7,626 per student in 2025-26, by household income.
- Award
- $5,243 to $7,626 per student in 2025-26, by household income
- Read
- Who qualifies
- For 2026-27: Louisiana residents at least 5 and not older than 21 by September 30, 2026 who took part in LA GATOR in 2025-26, are entering kindergarten, were enrolled in a public school on both October 1 and February 1 of 2025-26, or come from a household at or below 250% of the federal poverty level.
- Read
- School list
- The state publishes no list of participating schools.
- Application window
- The 2026-27 window was short: March 1 to 16, 2026.
- Read
- 2026-27 application window (renewals had to be filed in it too): opens (passed) source
- 2026-27 application window (renewals had to be filed in it too): closes (passed) source
Each date read on the official page linked beside it (doe.louisiana.gov), checked .
Deadlines by state Homeschooling in Louisiana All 291 private schools in Louisiana
How LA GATOR works
Checked against the program's own pages on
| What you get | $5,243 to $7,626 per student in 2025-26, by household income. These are the 2025-26 amounts; the state had not posted 2026-27 amounts when we checked. Families at or below 250% of the poverty level get the higher amount. Students with disabilities can receive up to $15,253 at or below 250% of the poverty level, and up to $12,870 above it. |
|---|---|
| Who qualifies | For 2026-27: Louisiana residents at least 5 and not older than 21 by September 30, 2026 who took part in LA GATOR in 2025-26, are entering kindergarten, were enrolled in a public school on both October 1 and February 1 of 2025-26, or come from a household at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. |
| How full it is | Nearly 17,000 eligible applications for 2026-27, against about 5,700 students funded the year before. Being eligible is not the same as being funded. |
| When to apply | The 2026-27 window was short: March 1 to 16, 2026. |
| How the money moves | All spending goes through the program’s online platform. Families are not reimbursed for out-of-pocket spending. |
| What it covers | Nonpublic school tuition and fees, tutoring, therapies, curriculum, uniforms, technology and approved tests. |
| Federal tax credit, 2027 | Louisiana is on the IRS list of states that opted in to the federal scholarship tax credit (as of September 14, 2026), so scholarship organizations here can take federally credited gifts from January 2027. |
Worth knowing: The legislature sets the budget each year and most applicants so far have not been funded.
We read this on from: Louisiana Department of Education, LA GATOR (2026-27 eligibility); Louisiana Department of Education, LA GATOR families (2025-26 award amounts); LDOE release, February 28, 2026. Rules change when the legislature meets, so check the official program site before you count on a number.
Is there an income limit for LA GATOR?
250% of the federal poverty guidelines, 2026-27. Income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level makes a student eligible on its own, places the student in the second funding priority group, and raises the award ($7,626 instead of $5,243 in 2025-26); families above it can still qualify through kindergarten entry, public school enrollment or prior participation. Source.
Who goes first. Funding depends on the legislature each year. If it falls short, awards go first to current LA GATOR students, then to students with a disability under IDEA or from families at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, then to siblings of current participants, then to all other eligible students, and within a group earlier applications come first.
Apply for LA GATOR: how it works
- Apply during the annual window through the Odyssey family portal linked from lagator.la.gov; for 2026-27 it ran from March 1, 2026 at 9 a.m. CT to March 16, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CT.
- Returning families log in to their Odyssey account and review and resubmit their information to renew; missing the window means losing eligibility for the next year.
- New families, including those on last year's waitlist, submit a new application with the required documents and information ready.
- LDOE reviews applications for eligibility and priority in the spring, and the legislature sets the program's funding between April and June.
- Award notices are sent through the Odyssey platform, estimated for June or July; eligible students who are not funded go on a waiting list.
- Awarded families set up the student's account over the summer and choose schools and services; tuition and all purchases are paid through Odyssey, and families are not reimbursed for out-of-pocket spending.
Go to the official application
Steps and limits read on from: LDOE, LA GATOR Scholarship Program; LDOE, LA GATOR Families; LDOE, LA GATOR Scholarship Program Policy (BESE Bulletin 133); LDOE release, February 28, 2026, 2026-27 application window. Limits change each year with the federal poverty guidelines, so confirm on the official site before you apply.
Which schools take it
Louisiana does not publish a list of participating schools outside the program’s own platform. Ask the school.
Browse private schools in Louisiana
- Private schools in New Orleans (56 nearby)
- Private schools in Gretna (43 nearby)
- Private schools in Baton Rouge (40 nearby)
- Private schools in Metairie (39 nearby)
- Private schools in Marrero (31 nearby)
- Private schools in Lafayette (15 nearby)
- Private schools in Mandeville (13 nearby)
- Private schools in Shreveport (12 nearby)
- Private schools in Monroe (10 nearby)
- Private schools in Houma (9 nearby)
- Private schools in Lake Charles (9 nearby)
- Private schools in Alexandria (8 nearby)
- Private schools in Slidell (8 nearby)
- Private schools in Hammond (7 nearby)
- Private schools in New Iberia (6 nearby)
- Private schools in Thibodaux (6 nearby)
- Private schools in Crowley (4 nearby)
- Private schools in Ruston (4 nearby)
Related programs
Run your own numbers
What would you pay?
Enter amounts of $0 or more.
LA GATOR pays between $5,243 and $7,626 depending on your household. We start with the lower figure. Change it if you know yours. An award can never be more than the school actually charges. This is arithmetic, not a quote.
Put the next LA GATOR window in your calendar
Most programs open once a year, and several ran out of money or seats in 2026. Pick your state's program to add its next dated window to your own calendar, with the official link, or subscribe to every program's dates.
No new LA GATOR application dates are posted yet. How LA GATOR works.
Every program's dates in one calendar that updates when we confirm new dates: subscribe in Google Calendar · subscribe in Apple Calendar or Outlook · all deadlines
Free. Nothing to sign up for: the calendar file is made in your browser and nothing is sent to us. Dates can change, so confirm on the official site.
Questions parents ask
Answers with a source line are short summaries of the program document named under them. Follow the link for the full wording.
How much does LA GATOR pay in Louisiana?
$5,243 to $7,626 per student in 2025-26, by household income. These are the 2025-26 amounts; the state had not posted 2026-27 amounts when we checked. Families at or below 250% of the poverty level get the higher amount. Students with disabilities can receive up to $15,253 at or below 250% of the poverty level, and up to $12,870 above it.
Who is eligible?
For 2026-27: Louisiana residents at least 5 and not older than 21 by September 30, 2026 who took part in LA GATOR in 2025-26, are entering kindergarten, were enrolled in a public school on both October 1 and February 1 of 2025-26, or come from a household at or below 250% of the federal poverty level.
Does it cover the full cost of private school?
Not always. The award is a set amount and every school sets its own price. Ask each school for tuition plus fees, then subtract the award. The calculator on this page does the sum for you.
How do I know a school accepts LA GATOR?
Louisiana does not publish a list of participating schools outside the program’s own platform. Ask the school.
When do I apply?
The 2026-27 window was short: March 1 to 16, 2026.
How do I apply for LA GATOR?
Apply during the annual window through the Odyssey family portal linked from lagator.la.gov; for 2026-27 it ran from March 1, 2026 at 9 a.m. CT to March 16, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CT. The 6 steps are listed under “Apply for LA GATOR” on this page, with the documents to have ready.
If my child is eligible, are we guaranteed a scholarship?
No. The legislature sets the budget each year, and when funding is limited not every eligible student receives an award. Unfunded eligible students go on a waiting list in priority order.
Do I have to reapply every year?
Yes. Eligibility must be reverified every year, and current families must renew in the Odyssey portal during the application window or lose eligibility.
Can homeschooled students use LA GATOR?
Not while in a home study program. BESE policy bars participating at the same time as a BESE-approved home study program or a home study program registered as a nonpublic school, and enrolling in one requires leaving LA GATOR.
How old does my child need to be?
For 2026-27 a student must be at least 5 years old, and not older than 21, by September 30, 2026.
What happens to money we do not spend?
Unused funds carry forward to the next school year as long as the student stays eligible and renews, though some funds must be used each year. If the student becomes ineligible or withdraws, the account closes and the money returns to LDOE.
Can I pay a bill myself and get reimbursed?
No. All tuition payments and purchases go through the Odyssey platform, and families cannot be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses.
Who qualifies for 2026-27?
A Louisiana resident aged 5 to 21 by September 30, 2026 who also meets one of these: was in LA GATOR in 2025-26, is starting kindergarten, was enrolled in a public school on both October 1 and February 1 of 2025-26, or lives in a household at or below 250% of the federal poverty level.
Source: Louisiana Department of Education, LA GATOR Scholarship Program, undated page, read October 7, 2026.
How much does it pay?
For 2025-26 it paid $7,626 for students from households at or below 250% of the poverty level, $5,243 for other students, and up to $15,253 for students with a disability. The amounts are a share of the state's per pupil school funding, so they can rise when that funding rises.
Source: Louisiana Department of Education, LA GATOR Scholarship Program Policy, Program Funding (BESE Bulletin 133), undated page, read October 7, 2026.
How is the amount set for a student with a disability?
The student needs a current evaluation or IEP from a public school system. The extra amount depends on the type of disability, in three tiers, and on family income. The most a student with a disability can get is $15,253.
Source: Louisiana Department of Education, LA GATOR Families, undated page, read October 7, 2026.
What can the money pay for?
Private school tuition and fees, textbooks and curriculum, tutoring, therapies, dual enrollment courses, approved tests, computers used mainly for school, uniforms, and some summer and after school programs, among other approved expenses.
Source: Louisiana Department of Education, LA GATOR Scholarship Program, undated page, read October 7, 2026.
When and how do we apply?
Once a year, online through the Odyssey portal. The 2026-27 window ran March 1 to March 16, 2026. New families, including those on the waitlist, file a new application. Current families must renew in the window or lose eligibility.
Source: Louisiana Department of Education, LA GATOR Scholarship Program, undated page, read October 7, 2026.
When will we find out if we got an award?
Applications are reviewed in the spring, lawmakers set the program's funding between April and June, and award notices go out through Odyssey, estimated for June or July.
Source: Louisiana Department of Education, LA GATOR Scholarship Program, undated page, read October 7, 2026.
What would end my child's eligibility?
Enrolling full time in a public school, moving out of Louisiana, giving false information, graduating or withdrawing from school, or leaving the account unused for two years in a row.
Source: Louisiana Department of Education, LA GATOR Scholarship Program, undated page, read October 7, 2026.
My child was in the old Louisiana Scholarship Program. What changes?
If your child stays at the same school, they keep the 2024-25 scholarship amount until they finish that school's last grade or leave the school.
Source: Louisiana Department of Education, LA GATOR Families, undated page, read October 7, 2026.
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