Giving All a True Opportunity to Rise
Louisiana GATOR Scholarship
Every child deserves a great education, regardless of where they live. Gov. Landry’s Louisiana GATOR (Give All a True Opportunity to Rise) scholarships created by House Bill 745 will allow parents to choose the school that best suits their child’s needs.
What are GATOR Scholarships?
GATOR Scholarships provide parents with a scholarship account that allows them to customize their child’s education. These scholarship accounts can be used for school tuition and fees, tutoring, educational therapies, textbooks and curricula, dual enrollment courses, uniforms, and transportation.
How do GATOR Scholarships work?
GATOR scholarship dollars are allocated from state funds into government-authorized accounts for parents to access directly.
Who is eligible for the GATOR Scholarships?
The goal of this program is to reach universal eligibility (meaning, eligibility for all K-12 students in Louisiana) by the 2027-2028 academic year. For the academic years leading up to then, eligibility will ramp up from one year to the next. In the 2025-2026 academic year, eligibility is open to students entering kindergarten, students enrolled in a public school, students enrolled in an approved nonpublic school with a voucher through the Louisiana Scholarship Program, and students in an approved nonpublic school with a household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. In the 2026-2027 academic year, eligibility is open to all students eligible in the previous year, as well as students enrolled in an approved nonpublic school with a household income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level.
How will GATOR Scholarships affect public school students?
These scholarships will give families of public school students an opportunity to find a school best suited to meet the needs of their students.
Can GATOR Scholarships help kids with special needs?
Yes! The proposed bill would increase funding for students with special needs to $15,000 per student. Additionally, sometimes public schools fail to serve students with special needs well. They often treat a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) like a checklist, not a legal document with input from all stakeholders – including parents. GATOR Scholarships will give students with special needs an opportunity to customize the services they need while also empowering parents to be true allies in their child’s education.
How much funding will a GATOR Scholarship provide?
Scholarship amounts depend on annual household income. Students from families making less than 250% of the federal poverty level would be eligible for up to 80% of average state and local allocation per pupil ($7,500). Students from families making more than 250% of the federal poverty level would be eligible for up to 55% of average state and local allocation per pupil ($5,100). Students with an IEP, regardless of household income, would be eligible for up to 160% of average state and local allocation per pupil ($15,000).
Where else do programs like this exist?
Fourteen states have programs similar to the GATOR Scholarship Program: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia.
Won’t this program allow wealthy families to get government assistance when they can afford to pay for a private school already?
Disadvantaged students will be prioritized in the process. Additionally, parents are taxpayers and should not have to pay twice for their child’s education if their zoned public school is not meeting the needs of their child.
Would homeschool students be eligible for a GATOR scholarship?
Nothing in the GATOR scholarship legislation alters the approved home study law. However, one allowable use of funds is a custom designed educational program where families can pay for multiple instructors, tutors, textbooks and curricula.
Will students who use a GATOR scholarship be tested at the end of the school year?
All students receiving a GATOR scholarship will take either the state end-of-year assessment (LEAP) or a state board approved national norm-referenced test. Results will be shared with the student’s parents and sent to the state department of education. Keep in mind that in a school choice program, the ultimate form of accountability is that these scholarships are portable; parents hold their school of choice accountable for meeting the needs of their students by either continuing with their school or leaving for a better opportunity.