Nonpublic Schools
In Louisiana, tens of thousands of students are enrolled in nonpublic schools.
Students may attend nonpublic schools approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Nonpublic School Seeking State Approval), an approved Home Study program, or a Nonpublic School Not Seeking State Approval. Nonpublic schools may, but are not required to, seek state approval.
To be approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, schools must offer an education comparable to the quality of public schools. Graduates from confirmed Nonpublic Schools Seeking State Approval and approved Home Study programs are eligible for TOPS, a state-funded college scholarship program.
Nonpublic Schools Seeking State Approval 2023-2024 Application
Nonpublic Schools Seeking State Approval must apply annually for approval by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
- Applications for the 2023-2024 are open through October 7th, 2022. Schools must submit a series of documents via a Jotform application in order to receive BESE approval for the 2023-2024 school year. The application includes required forms and submissions for Brumfield V. Dodd approval. Forms are required for both new and continuing approvals. BESE and Brumfield v. Dodd approval is required for participation in the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) and/or the School Choice Program (SCP). Schools interested in participating in either of those programs upon BESE approval must also submit their Notice of Intent To Participate (NOI).
- The Office of School Choice will host a webinar on Zoom for schools that have questions about their submission or classification.
- To become eligible for state and federal funding, schools must be approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and also comply with Brumfield vs. Dodd, a federal court order that prohibits discrimination.
Once approved, nonpublic schools approved by BESE must submit an annual enrollment report each fall.
Nonpublic School Annual Reporting (NPS)
All nonpublic schools approved by BESE (Nonpublic School Seeking State Approval) must submit an annual enrollment report each fall. The Department of Education is transitioning to using a new portal for schools to submit the annual Nonpublic School enrollment data (NPS) called EdLink. The submissions portal will be from mid-September to October.
EdLink account creation and NPS manual can be found here.
School managers will need to create an account on EdLink and request to be site managers. Detailed steps are provided in the manual named "How to Navigate EdLink as a School Site Manager."
Please contact nonpublicschools@la.gov if you have any questions following the steps in the manual.
Changes to your school site information included in Edlink can be requested through this link.
Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval
Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval must annually submit enrollment information for their school by using the
online attendance submission form. Persons entering their email address on the form will receive an Attendance Submission Confirmation letter via email immediately upon completion of the form. The attendance submission confirmation is valid for one year from the date of the letter. In hardship situations, attendance submissions may be submitted by mail. For more information, see the
Nonpublic Schools Not Seeking State Approval page.
Please email nonpublicschools@la.gov with questions about any of the processes above.