The Louisiana Department of Education maintains the education system for the state of Louisiana. The department operates various public and nonpublic schools and serves more than 650,000 students. It supports over 100,000 district and school employees and nearly 600 department employees. The Louisiana Department of Education offers instructions in English, language arts, mathematics, science, world languages, and health ad physical education. The department provides distance learning opportunities for students and educators. It also distributes technology funds and technical information based on evaluation and research to Louisiana school systems. The Louisiana Department of Education serves students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12.