The Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program

With the expressed aim of providing families with greater educational choices and an increased opportunity for success, Louisiana lawmakers recently expanded the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program statewide through the enactment of Act 2.  While a similar program has operated in New Orleans since 2008, 2012-2013 will mark the first year students across the state will be eligible to participate in the state’s scholarship program.  Likewise, while the existing Orleans Parish program began by offering tuition assistance to kindergarten through 3rd grade students, with a grade level added each year, the statewide program will be open to kindergarten through 12th grade students.  And students will be able to opt to attend not only approved nonpublic schools, but high performing public schools.

The timeline for qualifying schools is as follows:

• The LDOE will distribute school registration packets this week and will continually update the list of eligible schools on this page as schools qualify for the program;
• The deadline for schools to apply is May 18;
• Schools will be notified of their eligibility within one week of submitting the application.

The timeline for student enrollment is as follows:

• Families will be able to apply for the statewide Scholarship program beginning Tuesday, May 22.  Applications will be accessible online at this page and on-site at any participating school; 
• Students will submit completed applications no later than Friday, June 29th; more information on the submission of student applications will be available shortly;
• After the application process is completed and eligibility is determined, the Department will identify scholarship recipients through a prioritized lottery process in July; 
• All applicants will be notified of the results of the lottery, no later than July 31;
• To be eligible, a child must have been enrolled in a public school during the 2011-2012 school year that was labeled C, D or F, unless a student is entering kindergarten for the first time in the 2012-2013 school year; 
• Students must also be a resident of Louisiana and meet income eligibility requirements (family income in 2011 cannot exceed 250% of the federal poverty guidelines);
• Continuing students who were awarded a scholarship in the previous year are also eligible.

For more information about the scholarship program, please contact Studentscholarships@la.gov or call the Louisiana Department of Education’s Help Center at 1-877-453-2721.