Louisiana Homeschool High School Requirements and Graduation Standards

Louisiana gives BESE-Approved Home Study families significant flexibility in designing their high school program — but that flexibility comes within a legal framework that requires consistent annual compliance. Understanding what the state actually mandates, what it leaves to parental discretion, and what the downstream implications are for scholarships and college admissions is essential before your student reaches 9th grade.

What Louisiana State Law Actually Requires

The BESE-Approved Home Study Program is governed by R.S. 17:236.1. The statute sets three core requirements for operating legally:

1. Annual BESE approval. The initial application must be filed within 15 days of beginning home instruction. After that, families must renew annually. The renewal deadline is October 1 of each school year, or within 12 months of the initial approval date, whichever is later. A lapsed approval creates a gap in legal status that can affect TOPS eligibility and leave the family technically without recognized enrollment.

2. 180 days of instruction per year. Louisiana law defines a school as operating a minimum session of 180 days. For grades 1 through 12, this equates to approximately 63,720 minutes of instructional time annually — roughly 330 minutes per instructional day excluding lunch and breaks. The state does not require a daily log submitted to BESE, but maintaining one is strongly recommended. If a truancy question ever arises, an attendance log is the clearest evidence that instruction occurred.

3. A sustained curriculum of quality at least equal to public schools. The statute uses this phrase to establish the quality threshold. The LDOE does not maintain a list of approved curricula and does not review lesson plans in advance. What it reviews annually — through one of three evidence options — is whether the education being provided meets this standard. Families are entirely free to choose their own curriculum, educational philosophy, textbooks, and instructional approach.

The Three Annual Renewal Evidence Options

At renewal, families must submit one of the following:

Option 1 — Curriculum Packet. A complete outline of subjects taught for the year, accompanied by one to two pages of completed student work per core subject area (Math, English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies). This is the most subjective option and works best for families with well-organized portfolios. If a reviewer finds the evidence insufficient, the LDOE sends a follow-up letter by postal mail requesting additional samples — it does not immediately revoke approval.

Option 2 — Standardized Test Scores. Verification that the student scored at or above grade level, or demonstrated a year's progression. Acceptable tests include the ACT, SAT, Stanford Achievement Test, Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), California Achievement Test (CAT), and state LEAP tests. This is the most objective and streamlined option. A qualifying test score makes the renewal essentially automatic.

Option 3 — Teacher Statement. A written statement from a Louisiana-certified teacher qualified to teach at the student's grade level, affirming that they have reviewed the program and believe the student is receiving instruction of quality at least equal to public schools. This option suits families who want minimal LDOE interaction but prefer not to prepare a curriculum portfolio.

For high school students, Option 2 (standardized testing) is often the most strategic choice because the ACT score serves double duty: it satisfies the BESE annual renewal requirement and simultaneously determines TOPS scholarship eligibility.

Course Requirements for High School

Louisiana does not mandate that BESE-Approved Home Study students follow the state's standard public school graduation unit requirements (often called the Core 4 curriculum). However, if your student intends to apply to Louisiana public universities, those universities have their own admissions prerequisites that function as effective course requirements.

LSU's standard freshman admissions criteria require:

• 4 units of English
• 4 units of mathematics (through Algebra II or higher)
• 4 units of natural sciences (including at least one lab science)
• 4 units of social studies (including World History and United States History)
• 2 units of the same foreign language
• 2 units of art (music, visual arts, drama, or speech)
• 3 units of electives

Designing your high school curriculum around these requirements ensures your student's transcript is fully competitive for Louisiana public university admission. Most colleges, private and out of state, have similar baseline expectations.

If your student plans to pursue TOPS scholarships, meeting or exceeding these course requirements also strengthens their overall application package, even though TOPS eligibility for home study students is determined by ACT score rather than GPA.

How TOPS Shapes High School Planning

TOPS is Louisiana's primary merit-based college scholarship program, and home study students qualify under alternate eligibility criteria that center entirely on ACT composite score. This shapes how families should approach high school planning.

Two specific steps are required for home study students to preserve TOPS eligibility:

First: When registering for the ACT, the student must enter school code 969999. This identifies them to the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) as a BESE-Approved Home Study student and routes their score through the alternate eligibility pathway.

Second: The student's 11th and 12th grade BESE approval documentation must be submitted to LOSFA by January 15th following the year of high school graduation. This documentation is the BESE approval letters for those two academic years — not a transcript, not test scores. The approval letters prove that the student was legally enrolled in the BESE pathway during the years TOPS requires.

This is one of the most common errors families make: they maintain BESE approval through 12th grade but fail to gather and submit the approval letters to LOSFA on time. Without this documentation, LOSFA cannot process the TOPS award regardless of the student's ACT score.

Graduation Requirements: What You Decide

Louisiana law requires BESE-Approved Home Study parents to issue their own diploma — the LDOE does not do this. The diploma is awarded based on the parent's determination that the student has completed a full high school program. There is no minimum credit count mandated by state statute for home study students.

In practice, families designing a college-preparatory high school program typically aim for 24–28 Carnegie Units over four years, covering all core subject areas and electives. A Carnegie Unit represents approximately 120 hours of instruction in a subject. One full-year course equals one credit; semester courses equal 0.5 credits.

The graduation requirements you set should be documented in a school profile or course of study document. When colleges ask for context about your homeschool program, this document explains your graduation standards, grading scale, and curriculum philosophy. It is not required by the state, but colleges appreciate the transparency and it positions your student's transcript more favorably.

Act 715 and High School Sports Access

Since 2024, BESE-Approved Home Study students have the legal right to try out for interscholastic athletics at their local public school, under Act 715 (codified as R.S. 17:176.2). The law prohibits public schools from maintaining membership in any athletic association that excludes home study students on the basis of their educational pathway.

This is relevant to high school planning because athletic participation is one of the reasons families choose the BESE pathway over the Nonpublic pathway. Students on the Nonpublic pathway do not have this statutory right.

The Nonpublic Pathway: What It Looks Like for High School

Families registered under the Nonpublic School Not Seeking State Approval pathway operate under a different framework for high school. There are no portfolio or test submission requirements for annual renewal — registration is simply an annual online filing of basic demographic information. The operational autonomy is maximum.

The tradeoffs are significant:

• No TOPS scholarship eligibility
• No statutory right to public school sports under Act 715
• No R.S. 17:236.1(G) protection for diploma recognition at public postsecondary institutions
• Diplomas issued by the nonpublic school are generally accepted by private colleges and employers but lack the legal mandate that applies to BESE-approved diplomas

Families who began under the Nonpublic pathway can switch to BESE at any time. For a student entering 10th grade, switching to BESE for 11th and 12th grade preserves TOPS eligibility for those years (TOPS requires BESE status specifically in 11th and 12th grade). The switch requires submitting a new BESE initial application within 15 days of the transition.

Getting the legal structure right at withdrawal — and maintaining it consistently through the high school years — is what determines whether your student's diploma, transcript, and scholarship eligibility hold up. The Louisiana Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers the full BESE registration and renewal process, the TOPS documentation timeline, and the annual compliance steps that keep your student's options open through graduation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Louisiana require homeschool students to take state LEAP tests? No. LEAP tests are required only of students enrolled in Louisiana public schools. BESE-Approved Home Study students can choose to use LEAP results as their annual renewal evidence, but they are not mandated to take it.

Can a homeschool student in Louisiana participate in graduation ceremonies? The LDOE does not organize graduation ceremonies for home study students. Many families participate in homeschool co-op graduation events through organizations like CHEF of Louisiana or LEARN. Some public schools also allow home study students to participate in their graduation ceremonies by arrangement.

What happens if BESE renewal is denied? BESE will first send a follow-up letter requesting additional documentation. Revocation is not the immediate result of a deficient submission. If you receive a request for additional materials, respond promptly with broader work samples or a standardized test score.

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