Louisiana Homeschool TOPS LOSFA Codes: ACT Code 1595 and High School Code 969999

Two specific ACT-registration codes help Louisiana's Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) route and identify a BESE home-study student's TOPS records. Get them right and the process runs more smoothly. Entering the wrong code — or leaving one blank — can create a records problem during senior year while you are competing for scholarship deadlines.

The two codes are not interchangeable, they serve different purposes, and both matter. Here's exactly what each one does.

Why Codes Matter for Home Study Students

For a BESE-Approved Home Study student, the ACT registration form has separate fields for the TOPS score recipient and the home-study high-school code. Use those fields to identify the student's Louisiana home-study records for TOPS processing.

The two codes handle exactly those two functions.

Code 1595: The ACT Reporting Code for LOSFA

When your student registers for the ACT, the registration form asks which organizations should receive the score report. Students receive a certain number of free score sends as part of the test fee; additional sends cost extra.

Code 1595 is the TOPS ACT code. Enter it on the ACT registration form as the score recipient for the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance, which administers TOPS.

If you skip this step, LOSFA may not receive the ACT results automatically. You can always request an additional score send from ACT after the fact, but it costs money, takes time, and introduces the possibility of delays that compound badly if you're already close to the TOPS application deadline.

The practical takeaway: include code 1595 in the list of score recipients when your student registers for or retakes the ACT. It takes thirty seconds and costs nothing if you're within the included send allotment.

Code 969999: The Home Study High School Code

Code 969999 is the Home Study High School Code for Louisiana BESE-Approved Home Study students.

Use this code in the ACT school-code field:

On ACT registration: Your student will be asked to enter their high school's code. For BESE-Approved Home Study students, 969999 is the correct school-code entry. It is not a transcript-submission code; follow each college's own homeschool application instructions for admissions records.

The Difference Between the Two

Using 969999 alone does not route scores to LOSFA — that's what 1595 does. Use both codes in their respective ACT registration fields when registering for the ACT.

What About CLT Scores?

Act 347 of the 2025 Louisiana legislative session authorized the Classic Learning Test (CLT) alongside the ACT and SAT for TOPS qualification. The CLT is scored on a different scale than the ACT; confirm current LOSFA equivalency and threshold guidance before relying on a CLT score.

For CLT score reporting, follow the current LOSFA and CLT score-reporting instructions. Do not assume that the ACT code 1595 is also a CLT reporting code. Code 969999 remains the ACT school-code entry for a BESE home-study student; it is not a transcript-submission code.

The NPNSA Code Situation

If your family is registered as a Nonpublic School Not Seeking State Approval (NPNSA) rather than BESE-Approved Home Study, these codes do not help you. NPNSA students are categorically ineligible for TOPS under Louisiana law — no code, no ACT score, and no documentation will change that. Code 969999 is specifically for BESE-Approved Home Study students.

This distinction catches families off guard. Many parents who chose NPNSA because it required less paperwork discover during their student's junior year that the entire TOPS pathway was closed the whole time. Prior NPNSA years do not satisfy the BESE 11th- and 12th-grade enrollment requirement.

If your student is currently in NPNSA and has not yet completed 10th grade, you can still switch to BESE-Approved Home Study. For TOPS, prior NPNSA years do not satisfy the BESE 11th- and 12th-grade requirement. The practical transition point is before the end of 10th grade or when entering 11th grade, and documentation should start immediately upon switching.

When to Enter These Codes

The timeline for using the codes looks like this:

When your student registers for the ACT (any grade, any attempt): Include 969999 as the high school code and 1595 as a score recipient. Do this for every ACT sitting, not just the first one. LOSFA uses the highest qualifying score, so each retake should be sent correctly.

When preparing the TOPS application: LOSFA will use the ACT scores already on file. If you entered both codes correctly, review the LOSFA account to confirm the score is visible. Submit the TOPS application by July 1 following the one-year anniversary of high-school graduation.

When your student applies to colleges: Follow each institution's homeschool application instructions. Do not treat 969999 as a transcript-submission code.

After graduation — documentation submission: The codes are only part of the process. Follow current LOSFA instructions for any BESE approval documentation or other records the TOPS application requires; code entry does not replace those records.

Getting the Documentation Behind the Codes Right

Entering 1595 and 969999 correctly is relatively quick — it's a few fields on a registration form. What takes time and attention is the underlying documentation those codes point LOSFA toward: the annual BESE renewal packets, the 180-day attendance records, the subject coverage logs, and the transcript that shows what curriculum was used across 9th through 12th grade.

If your BESE approval paperwork has gaps — incomplete renewal applications, missing subject documentation, or an attendance log that doesn't clearly cover 180 instructional days — those codes won't rescue the TOPS application. LOSFA verifies the BESE status behind the code, and if the underlying records are incomplete, the application stalls.

The Louisiana Portfolio & Assessment Templates include the BESE renewal cover sheet, the 180-day attendance log, the subject evidence tracker, and the TOPS scholarship documentation checklist organized around the exact records LOSFA reviews when verifying home study status. If you're preparing your student's BESE files now, that's where the documentation framework lives.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my student already took the ACT without entering code 1595?

You can request a score send retroactively through ACT's website. There is a fee per send. Go to act.org, log into your student's account, and add LOSFA (code 1595) as an additional recipient. The score report typically arrives within a few weeks.

Do we need both codes every time, or just once?

Every ACT registration should include both codes in their respective fields. LOSFA tracks qualifying scores, but each individual score report needs to be correctly attributed to the home-study record. Entering the codes only on the first attempt and skipping them on retakes creates a records gap.

Is 969999 the same as the code for homeschoolers in other states?

No. Code 969999 is the Louisiana Home Study High School Code for BESE-Approved Home Study students. Students in Texas, Florida, or other states use the identifiers required by their own programs.

Can I call LOSFA directly to verify the codes are in their system?

Yes. LOSFA's contact line for TOPS inquiries handles exactly these questions. If your student is approaching their junior year, it is worth calling to confirm that their scores are properly linked to their home study status in the LOSFA system before the TOPS application window opens.

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