Two ways to use the account
LA GATOR has two payment paths. One is full-time enrollment at a BESE-approved school, where the account pays tuition and fees. The other is home-based education, where you buy courses, curriculum, tutoring, therapies and materials from approved providers in the Odyssey marketplace. In the home-based path the account can't pay tuition.
The home study rule
This trips families up. State law bars a student from being in LA GATOR while also registered as a BESE-approved home study program, or in a home program registered as a nonpublic school not seeking state approval. If you homeschool today under one of those registrations, talk to the LA GATOR call center (225-422-1538) before you apply or renew, so you understand what changes.
What families buy
- Online courses and full online programs from approved providers
- Curriculum, textbooks and instructional materials
- Tutoring, including online tutoring
- Therapies from licensed providers
- Testing fees, AP exams and college admissions tests
- Dual enrollment at a college or university
The marketplace has price caps and purchase rules, and some categories need approval. Check the item or provider in Odyssey before you commit. Purchases are made through the platform; there's no reimbursement for things you buy elsewhere.
A full online program as the core
Many home-based families want an accredited academic core with flexibility around it. An online classical Christian school such as AmFaith can be that core, with co-ops, tutoring and local classes around it. Confirm any online school is an approved provider in the marketplace before paying from the account.