More than 186,000 low-income students in the Los Angeles Unified School District qualify for free tutoring, but only 4,000 have signed up, officials said Thursday.

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, students who are eligible for free and reduced-price lunches are entitled to tutoring, paid for by their school district, if they attend schools that have failed to improve for two consecutive years. LAUSD has about $60 million to fund tutoring services through contracts with 26 private and public agencies, including its own weekend learning centers.

"We are really hoping all the parents who have eligible students will take advantage of this," said Becki Robinson, program specialist for the LAUSD's Beyond the Bell Branch. "It's a wonderful opportunity for them to get more academic help for their children."

District officials mailed out applications to eligible students two weeks ago. They also are reaching out to parents through public-service announcements on radio and television, follow-up fliers, school newsletters and meetings with a variety of organizations.

Despite extensive efforts, applications have been returned for only a fraction of the eligible students.

Parents are encouraged to postmark applications by Sept. 26 so their children can receive services as soon as possible, but the district will continue to accept the forms until Dec. 5.

Tutoring provided by the district and its private contractors covers math and language arts in a variety of formats, from "online classrooms" to individual instruction. Providers include The Princeton Review and SCORE Educational Centers.

District centers offer 30 hours of tutoring with a ratio of five students per teacher, and they also offer transportation, while private companies don't. Private companies offer programs throughout the year, while district centers will only have three sessions -- starting Nov. 8, Feb. 21 and June 5.

All tutoring providers are required to create individual education plans to address each student's particular needs.

The first supplemental services were provided last year, when about 12,000 students participated. This year, district officials hope that number will double. Based on preliminary results from last year, officials said the program is working.

"We have gotten feedback from parents, students and teachers that they enjoyed the program," said Jeri Durham, director of Beyond the Bell. "Teachers have said they have noticed differences in kids who participated. Parents have said kids' grades have gone up."