How to Withdraw Your Child From Public School in Louisiana (2026): Step by Step

How Withdrawal Works in Louisiana

Louisiana ties withdrawal to registering your home study program with the state. You pick one of two routes, complete the registration, then notify your child's public school. The registration is what establishes your home study program and gives it legal standing under Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 17:236.1. The teaching parent is required to hold at least a high school diploma or GED, and you need to confirm that before you file.

The most common route is applying to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for an approved home study program. Most families choose this route because it keeps options open, including the state diploma pathways and the LA GATOR Scholarship for qualifying families. The second route -- registering as a nonpublic school not seeking state approval -- is available for families who want more independence from the BESE process.

Louisiana's compulsory school age runs from 7 through 18. If your child is in that range and currently enrolled in a public school, the public school enrollment does not automatically end when you decide to home school. You replace it by completing the registration, which establishes your home study program as the recognized alternative, and then notifying the school. Getting the registration done first is what keeps your child continuously covered.

Step 1: Choose Your Registration Route

Louisiana offers two legal routes for home study, and knowing which one you want before you file keeps the process moving forward without backtracking.

The first route is the approved home study program administered through the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. You apply to BESE through the Louisiana Department of Education. The application records your home study program, the children enrolled, and the teaching parent. Once BESE approves your application, your home study program is on file with the state and you can begin instruction. This is the route most Louisiana families choose because the approved status keeps options open -- the state diploma pathways for high school students and the LA GATOR Scholarship both tie to approved home study registration.

The second route is registering as a nonpublic school not seeking state approval. Under this route, you operate as an independent private school rather than an approved home study program. Some families choose this for the independence it provides -- there is less direct state oversight, and you are not subject to the BESE approval process. The trade-off is that you give up access to the approved-status benefits, including the scholarship and the state diploma pathways.

We compare both routes in detail in our Louisiana homeschooling guide. Before you register, a free reading assessment gives you a picture of where your child's skills stand so you can match your curriculum to where instruction needs to begin from day one.

Step 2: Register Your Program

For the approved home study route, submit the application to BESE through the Louisiana Department of Education. The application asks for information about the home study program, including the children you plan to enroll and the teaching parent's credentials. Confirm that the teaching parent holds at least a high school diploma or GED before you file, since Louisiana requires it and BESE may ask for documentation. Once your application is on file and approved, your home study program is established.

Keep the approval documentation in a place you can access quickly. It is your record that the registration was completed and that your home study program has legal standing. If the district ever asks about your child's enrollment status, the BESE approval documentation answers the question.

For a mid-year withdrawal, register first, then notify the school close to the same time. Your child moves from public school enrollment to your registered home study program with no gap. Do not pull your child from the public school before the registration is on file, since the registration is what provides the legal alternative to public school enrollment under Louisiana law.

For the nonpublic school route, the registration process differs. Contact the Louisiana Department of Education for the current procedures for establishing a nonpublic school not seeking state approval, and keep whatever documentation the registration generates in the same folder as your withdrawal notice.

Step 3: Notify the School and Keep Records

With your program registered, send your child's public school written notice that the child is withdrawn to a home study program. A short letter is enough. Include your child's name, the withdrawal date, and the fact that the child is enrolling in a registered home study program. Written notice stops attendance tracking and creates a record of the withdrawal date. Keep it alongside your registration documentation in the same folder.

While you are in contact with the school, request any records you want before the withdrawal is complete. Transcripts, immunization records, and prior assessment results belong to the family and are worth collecting at the point of withdrawal. Making the request at the same time as the notice keeps the timeline efficient.

After the withdrawal, Louisiana asks for an annual assessment of your child's progress -- either a nationally standardized test or a portfolio reviewed by a certified teacher. You submit the results to your city or parish superintendent. The main Louisiana homeschooling guide covers the assessment options and the annual notice requirement in full. Use our homeschooling guide to plan what to teach before the first assessment comes around.

Funding Note and Special Education

Louisiana's LA GATOR Scholarship provides a flexible education savings account for home-educating families, and registered home study families can use it. Eligibility is still phasing in -- universal eligibility is planned for 2027-28 -- and income limits apply in the current phase. The scholarship requires home study registration, so the route you choose matters if funding is on your radar. The nonpublic-school-not-seeking-approval route does not qualify; the BESE-approved home study program does. Our Louisiana funding guide covers the amounts, the eligibility phases, and the application process in full.

If your child has an Individualized Education Program, the special education services the public school provides end when your child withdraws to home study. The mandatory IEP entitlement does not carry over. Louisiana school boards may offer certain services to non-public school students with disabilities on a voluntary basis, but those services are not guaranteed and are not the same as what the IEP required the public school to provide. Contact your parish's special education office before withdrawing if your child receives IEP services and depends on them as part of the daily program.

A Note from Homeschool Teacher Guide: What This Really Means for You

Louisiana is a register-first state, so the move is: pick your route, register your home study program with the state, then tell your child's public school. Most families take the BESE-approved home study route, which keeps the most options open, including the state diploma pathways and the LA GATOR scholarship. Confirm the teaching parent holds a high school diploma or GED before you file, keep your registration confirmation with your withdrawal note, and plan for the annual assessment that follows. If funding matters, read our Louisiana funding guide, since GATOR requires home study registration. Our Louisiana homeschooling guide compares both routes in full.