Florida is an "attendance" state. This means that the legal requirements for educating your child in the state of Florida are centered around "compulsory attendance" as defined in one of the following tracks: Public school Private school Parochial school Full-time private tutoring program Home education Personalized Education program (PEP) -- a new track created with the enactment of HB1 as of July 1, 2023. Of those six options, two allow you to teach your own children at home (home education, and PEP), though it's important to note that PEP is considered separate from home education in statute. Some important notes about this: You must choose a track from the above options to satisfy your child's attendance requirements. A student cannot be fulfilling "attendance" in more than one track at a time. Umbrella schools and hybrid schools are not terms found in statute. If your child is enrolled with an umbrella school and/or a "hybrid" school, and that school is tracking attendance and records for your student, your child is considered a private school student according to statute. A home education student is one for whom the parent has submitted a "Letter of Intent to Home Educate" to the Superintendent of the county/school district. From that point on, the parent directs that child's education, and must keep portfolio/records and submit an annual evaluation in accordance with statute 1002.41. PEP (Personalized Education Program) is also parent-directed education, but done through a state-approved Scholarship Funding Organization rather than by submitting a letter of intent to the county. PEP is defined in HB1 and also in Statute 1002.01 : a “personalized education program” means the sequentially progressive instruction of a student directed by his or her parent to satisfy the attendance requirements of ss. 11003.01(16) and 1003.21(1) while registered with an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization pursuant to s. 1002.395. A personalized education student shall be provided the same flexibility and opportunities as provided in s. 1002.41(3)-(12)." PEP was separated out from home education in statute intentionally so that if regulations are added to PEP in the future, it will not impact Florida's home education law, but PEP was also constructed to mirror traditional home education as closely as possible. The official website of the Florida Legislature is http://leg.state.fl.us/. There, you can look up any of the Florida statutes. The statutes directly pertaining to Home Education are primarily in statute 1002, although you will also see references there to statute 1006 (about extracurriculars, including 1006.15 where the Craig Dickinson Act ensures that home education students have the right to take extracurriculars at public schools), and other references to other specific, related statues as well. Now that PEP (Personalized Education Program) also exists as a separate option for compulsory attendance (it is considered separate from home education in statute), you may want to familiarize yourself with PEP info as well in s.1002.395. If you're new to homeschooling and have questions about your rights, responsibilities, and freedoms under Florida law, please reach out to us directly in our HEFx Discord Server! https://www.flhef.org/discord We want all parents to be informed, so we are happy to answer questions!

Yes! Florida is a very school-choice friendly state, and there are now several scholarship options available to help expand opportunities for students: FES (Family Empowerment Scholarships) Relevant statute: 1002.394. See also the FES page on the Florida Department of Education website. FES scholarships are funded by the state (government-funded). Includes FES-UA (Unique Abilities) scholarship (open to "students with disabilities, as young as 3 years of age.") Can be used as a home education student if student has either an IEP or "a diagnosis of a disability from a licensed physician or psychologist." Includes FES-EO (Educational Options) scholarship (the "private school" scholarship, available for K-12 students.) Private schools must go through an approval process with the DOE and be determined an "eligible" private school in order for the scholarship to be used at that school. You cannot use FES-EO as a home education student. It is for private school. FTC (Florida Tax Credit) Scholarships Relevant statute: 1002.395. See also the FTC page on the Florida Department of Education website. FTC scholarships are privately funded (donated to the Scholarship Funding Organizations by corporations in exchange for a tax credit). Includes an FTC private school scholarship Includes PEP (Personalized Education Program) scholarship (able to be used for parent-directed education under the PEP track in statute for satisfying compulsory attendance requirements in Florida--see FAQ about compulsory attendance tracks in Florida for more info!)

Yes, you can decide to move your child between attendance tracks at any time, even during a school year, so long as you complete the required steps for unenrolling the child from the current track and enrolling in a new one. However, please note that some tracks (specifically PEP) are now time-limited each year based on the application windows given in statute, and factors like school capacity may also effect your ability to move your child to a desired school. We would advise researching your options first to have a plan in place to prevent truancy, before unenrolling your student from the current attendance track.

The age for compulsory attendance in Florida is from age 6 to 16. Specifically, if your child is either 6 or more years of age, or will be 6 by February 1 of that school year, your child must attend school regularly (Section 1003.21, Florida Statutes) using one of the valid attendance tracks listed in statute. (See the above FAQ about the options for compulsory attendance for more info on these!) This requirement continues to apply until the child turns 16 years of age.

When your child has completed their home education, you will submit a sworn affidavit to your county. This serves as your child's legal documentation of completion. You should be able to get a blank copy of this affidavit from your district's home education office, or there is a copy on the Florida Department of Education's website here: https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/other-school-choice-options/home-edu/district-resources.stml

You submit a "Letter of Intent" to your county's home education office. That's it! By statute, you have up to 30 days from the time you begin home education with your child to submit this letter of intent to your county. Most counties have a Letter of Intent for Home Education available on their website, or you can use the general one provided on our website (https://www.flhef.org/downloads). You'll need to check your local school district's website for the exact email address or physical address to submit this form to your school district (or some counties may use an online submission portal). Be sure to follow the requirements for record-keeping and annual evaluations for home education in Florida! (See our FAQ about this for more info.)

Yes! The right for home education students to participate in sports and extracurriculars at the school district has been available in Florida since the 1990s, and is stated in Florida statute 1006.15 (also known as the Craig Dickinson Act, named after Brenda Dickinson's late husband). In fact, during the 2025 legislative session, a clarification was made to the statute which now clearly states that a home education student "is eligible to participate on an interscholastic athletic team at any public school in the school district in which the student resides, provided the student meets the conditions specified in sub-subparagraphs 1.a.-g." There is now a nationwide movement to add these rights in other states, commonly referred to as the "Tim Tebow Act" -- but it all started here with the Craig Dickinson Act. (Tim Tebow is one famous example of home-educated students from Florida who benefitted from that statute.)

Yes. According to Florida statute 1002.41: (d) The parent shall maintain a portfolio of records and materials. The portfolio must consist of the following: 1. A log of educational activities that is made contemporaneously with the instruction and that designates by title any reading materials used. 2. Samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials used or developed by the student. (e) The parent shall determine the content of the portfolio, preserve it for 2 years, and make it available for inspection, if requested, by the district school superintendent, or the district school superintendent’s agent, upon 15 days’ written notice. Nothing in this section shall require the district school superintendent to inspect the portfolio. There is also a requirement for an annual evaluation--see the FAQ on that below.

No. Although many umbrella school students do much of their education at home, and most consider themselves homeschoolers, umbrella schools are private schools according to Florida statutes, and are therefore subject to all private school statutes and requirements, rather than the home education statutes.

No. There are no restrictions on what curricula or course content a parent can use for home education, and no required list of subjects per grade level in statute. In fact, home education students do not technically have a "grade level" and do not have to conform to typical grade-level expectations. Your child could be using a variety of levels of curriculum or course materials in any given year, based on their proficiency and/or educational progress in each area---you, as the parent, decide what to use for your child's education.

You, as the home-educating parent, are responsible for creating your student's transcript. We advise keeping your own records of credits your child has completed for the high school years, so that you will have all the information you need to produce a complete transcript later, or you can keep and update a transcript as you go. If you need help completing a transcript, the FPEA (Florida Parent Educators Association) has a sample transcript available to registered FPEA members. There is also a helpful book by one of our HEF Board Members, Sue Puchferran, that will walk you through navigating the high school years and keeping the necessary records, and which includes examples of how to format a transcript and even how to calculate your child's GPA. It is available for purchase here (all sales proceeds go to HEF as donations): https://www.amazon.com/Completing-Journey-Florida-School-Handbook/dp/B0C51VCB4V.

The official website of the Florida Legislature is http://leg.state.fl.us/. There, you can look up any of the Florida statutes. The statutes directly pertaining to Home Education are primarily in Florida statute 1002, although you will also see references there to statute 1006 (about extracurriculars, including 1006.15 where the Craig Dickinson Act ensures that home education students have the right to take extracurriculars at public schools), and other references to other specific, related statues as well. Now that PEP (Personalized Education Program) also exists as a separate option for compulsory attendance (it is considered separate from home education in statute), you may want to familiarize yourself with PEP info as well in s.1002.395. You can also find loads of helpful info about PEP on the FLHEF.ORG website. If you're new to homeschooling and have questions about your rights, responsibilities, and freedoms under Florida law, please reach out to us directly in our HEFx Discord Server! http://flhef.org/discord. We want all parents to be informed, so we are happy to answer questions!

If at any point you decide you no longer want to home educate your child, you would submit a Letter of Termination to your county. If your child is still of compulsory attendance age, you would also need to enroll your child in a different attendance track. We have a template for a Letter of Termination on our website here: http://flhef.org/downloads

Yes! If you're looking for financial aid for home education, you have basically two options: The FES-UA (Unique Abilities) scholarship for children with disabilities can be used as a registered home education student or private school student. The PEP (Personalized Education Program) scholarship, for those who wish to home-educate with financial aid/scholarship support. However, PEP is not just a scholarship---it is its own attendance track, and is intentionally separate from home education in statute, so if you choose this option, you will need to terminate your home education status once you are awarded PEP--but PEP students still get the same flexibilities and opportunities afforded in statute as home education students. (You can find out more about why PEP is a separate track from home education, and how it all works, in our PEP FAQs below!)

No. While Florida is an "attendance state," Florida's home education statutes do not require a certain number of days or hours to be completed for home education. This is largely due to Brenda Dickinson, who was deeply involved in the construction of the statutes that legalized home education in Florida back in 1985. She explained to legislators that home education often does not keep traditional school hours or days, and that "schooling" for a home education family can happen at the dinner table, before bedtime studying the stars outside, in or out of the home while participating in day-to-day life, and more, and therefore does not fit the mold for tracking via typical days/hours requirements.

Yes, there are annual evaluation requirements for home education in Florida--but they do not have to include standardized testing. According to Florida statute 1002.41: (f) The parent shall provide for an annual educational evaluation in which is documented the student’s demonstration of educational progress at a level commensurate with her or his ability. The parent shall select the method of evaluation and shall file a copy of the evaluation annually with the district school superintendent’s office in the county in which the student resides. The annual educational evaluation shall consist of one of the following: 1. A teacher selected by the parent shall evaluate the student’s educational progress upon review of the portfolio and discussion with the student. Such teacher shall hold a valid regular Florida certificate to teach academic subjects at the elementary or secondary level; 2. The student shall take any nationally normed student achievement test administered by a certified teacher; 3. The student shall take a state student assessment test used by the school district and administered by a certified teacher, at a location and under testing conditions approved by the school district; 4. The student shall be evaluated by an individual holding a valid, active license pursuant to the provisions of s. 490.003(7) or (8); or 5. The student shall be evaluated with any other valid measurement tool as mutually agreed upon by the district school superintendent of the district in which the student resides and the student’s parent. Many home education families opt to do a portfolio evaluation with a certified teacher (option 1), but you can choose any of these five options to fulfill your annual evaluation requirement for your home education student. If you need help finding a qualified evaluator for your annual home education evaluation, please reach out to us in our Discord server! (http://flhef.org/discord). We may be able to help you find a local evaluator or one who is able to offer virtual evaluations.

No. There is no diploma issued by the public school system for the completion of a home education program in Florida. However, when your child completes their home education, you will complete a sworn affidavit which serves as the documentation that your child has completed their education (see above FAQ of "How do I graduate my home-educated child?"). By statute 1007.263(2)(a), this affidavit is equivalent to a high school diploma, and can be submitted to state colleges and universities as proof of high school completion.

Yes! Home education students are eligible for both dual enrollment and Bright Futures, per Florida statute 1002.41 (5)-(6).

That depends on what you mean by "using." If you are simply using the umbrella school for record-keeping or other services, but they are not recording attendance for your child, then possibly. However, if your child is enrolled as a registered student with the umbrella school, and they are reporting attendance for your child, then no---you may not be enrolled in the umbrella school at the same time as PEP. This is because umbrella schools (considered private schools by statute) and PEP are two separate attendance tracks, and your child cannot be enrolled in two attendance tracks at once. As an important side-note for those hoping to use an umbrella school's services while registered as a PEP student: many umbrella schools do not meet the scholarship eligibility requirements for PEP, and therefore their services are often not reimbursable by the scholarship, even if you are not enrolled as a student reporting attendance through the umbrella school.

There are currently two approved scholarship funding organizations for FTC-PEP in the state of Florida, and you may apply through either of them: Step Up for Students (http://stepupforstudents.org) and AAA Scholarship Foundation (https://www.aaascholarships.org/parents/florida/). You can only be awarded the scholarship through ONE of these scholarship funding organizations at a time, so you may want to do some research first as to the differences in administration and other factors between the two organizations, and choose the one which is the best fit for you.

Yes. You can leave PEP and return to home education at any time. You would simply notify your scholarship funding organization (Step Up for Students, or AAA Scholarship Foundation, whichever you used) that you are declining the funds for your student and that your student is leaving PEP. Then you would submit a new Letter of Intent to your county to re-register your student as a home education student. If you want to leave PEP but not return to home education, you would just need to enroll your child in one of the other statute-approved attendance tracks after declining your child's PEP funds.

Yes! The FTC/PEP statutes in 1002.395 refer to the definitions in statute 1002.01, which specifically states that "A personalized education student shall be provided the same flexibility and opportunities as provided in s. 1002.41(3)-(12)" -- the Home Education statutes. The eligibility for Bright Futures for home education students is referenced in those stated paragraphs, meaning those same rights also apply to PEP students.

You are not required by Florida law to keep a portfolio for a PEP student, but we highly recommend that you do, for two reasons: (1) Your own protection, if there is ever a question about educational progress for your child (we have heard of situations with divorces, etc., where this comes into play), and (2) In case you decide to return to home education, so that there wouldn't be a gap in your child's portfolio records.

In short, because the statutes don't currently allow it. There is a principal of reading/interpreting statutes called "Statutory Construction," in which it is assumed that legislators considered all options, and decided to include in statute only what they included. This principle is the reason the omission of certain things from a statute is significant--such as the exclusion of digital devices and digital periphery devices from the PEP statutes (in 1002.395), whereas they are included in the statutes for FES-UA (s. 1002.394, which the PEP statutes were modeled after). The scholarship funding organizations can only approve categories of purchases that are specifically listed in statute. Step Up and AAA have teams of lawyers who work with the DOE to determine the boundaries of what they can approve based on statute, and Step Up/AAA must abide by what's written in the laws. Currently, because the PEP statutes exclude digital devices and digital periphery devices, that exclusion is considered to be intentional by legislators. Digital devices will not be an approved expense for PEP until they are specifically added to the PEP statutes as an approved category of purchase. We are lobbying for this change, and have been for the past two years! But, if you've followed any of our updates on the developments from the 2024 and 2025 legislative sessions, you know that there have been other factors at play which have kept this from being implemented in statute as of yet. If you're a PEP parent who would like to see digital devices added as an approved expense for PEP, please reach out to your local legislators to let them know this issue is important to you! We have some information on Tips for writing your legislators on this particular issue inside our Discord server (http://flhef.org/discord).

Yes, as long as they meet the requirements listed in statute (1006.15)! The FTC/PEP statutes in 1002.395 refer to the definitions in statute 1002.01, which specfically states that "A personalized education student shall be provided the same flexibility and opportunities as provided in s. 1002.41(3)-(12)" -- the Home Educaton statutes. Parentheses (4) in that list is the one that references the right for home education students to "participate in interscholastic extracurricular student activities in accordance with the provisions of s. 1006.15." Therefore, these same rights afforded in the home education statutes also apply to PEP students.

Yes, the parent remains the authority. The scholarship funding organizations (SFOs) -- Step Up for Students or AAA Scholarship Foundation -- have no authority over how you conduct your child's education. There are guidelines for what counts as a qualifying purchase under the scholarship funds, and some educational expenses you desire to use may not qualify for reimbursement. (You can find the detailed Purchasing Guide on the respective SFO's websites.) However, this doesn't mean you can't still use those options! If you want to purchase something not covered in the guide, you are absolutely free to do so! It just may not be reimbursed.

This is a question we've gotten a LOT, so we wanted to break this down in a simple way. First, it's important to understand WHY the PEP program is separated out from Home Education in statute. When 2023's HB1 was first introduced, the plan was to offer the scholarship/voucher program to "home education students." However, HEF's founder, Brenda Dickinson, wanted to ensure that if additional regulation is added to the PEP program down the line, that regulation will not impact home education law. She worked with legislators to ensure that PEP and Home Education are two different categories under statute, so that no matter what they may do with PEP, home education law remains unchanged. This way, families always have a safe haven to return to if the situation with PEP ever becomes unfavorable. This is why PEP and Home Education are two distinct options. Because of this, if you accept the PEP scholarship, you will need to terminate your home education program (by submitting a letter of termination to your county), and list PEP as your reason for doing so. From that point on, you are educating your child as a "personalized education program student" through one of the scholarship funding organizations (Step Up or AAA), rather than being considered a "home education student." Does this mean I lose the freedoms and rights I had as a home educating parent? No! Florida statutes [s.1002.01(2)] specify that PEP students will have the same opportunities and flexibility as home education students in s.1002.41, paragraphs(3)-(12). You will still be in control of your child's education, and (with three small exceptions we'll explain in a moment), you will still be free to operate in your homeschooling as you've always done. What are those exceptions? Am I required to do certain things as a PEP student? The three main differences, at this point, are: 1. You will need to submit a Student Learning Plan to your scholarship funding organization (Step Up or AAA.) This learning plan is very simple and straightforward, and involves a checklist-like process where you state your "learning priorities" for the year. Step Up's submission process for this also includes multiple disclaimers that your learning plan in no way limits how you can spend your scholarship funds or how you can home educate your student, and that you can change your plan at any time. Step Up has a whole tutorial on their site explaining the process of submitting a Student Learning Plan in detail, but it really is a very simple, basic process--it's just there for accountability, to show parents have put in some level of thought to their plans for the year. (Originally, legislators wanted far more intrusive accountability, but Brenda argued against that, and instead they arrived at the Student Learning Plan.) 2. You will need to take a standardized test at the end of each year, rather than having multiple options for your end-of-year evaluation. The big concerns we hear from parents on this one are mostly related to (1) tracking scores, and (2) how the tests will be administered. To speak to those points... The results are not tracked individually by student (they are compiled into group scores used for tracking the program) and these results will not be released to the public for the first five years (at which point, again, they are not releasing individual scores, rather the overall stats for the program). As for the administering of the tests, you are able to choose from a DOE-approved list of norm-referenced assessments, some of which even allow for parent proctoring at home. (You must comply with the test manufacturer's requirements for how and by whom your chosen test is administered.) 3. You will no longer be able to take classes for FREE through the public school system--but you CAN take them. You will just need to pay for them out of your scholarship funds, to prevent "double-dipping" from people taking the scholarship money and still receiving free classes from the school district. The school district will determine what they charge PEP students for the classes. This could vary district to district, and right now, with PEP so new, most districts are still figuring this out, so there is still some confusion and lack of clarity in places... though now (as of summer 2025), some districts have already been added to Step Up's online Provider Marketplace.

Do I have to submit a standardized test for my PEP student annually? Yes. (They need to be submitted at the end of school year for parents who used PEP for their students. What tests can I use? The statute states that it must be a "nationally norm-referenced" test. A list of Florida Department of Education's Norm-Referenced Assessments can be here: https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/k-12-scholarship-programs/ftc/annual-assessment-requirement.stml How are the tests administered? SFO's follow the methodology that the testing publisher/provider allows for the administration of the test. Some of the tests even allow for parent proctoring at home, but you will need to check the test manufacturer's requirements. If you would like to have an Evaluator administer your test at the end of the school year, we recommend ensuring that Evaluator meets all the Choice Navigator/Tutor requirements and any requirements from the test manufacturer. What if there's a specific test I want to use that isn't on the list? You are required to use a test from the official DOE list. What are the test results used for? Are they tracking my student's progress year to year? No. They are not tracking individual students' progress. The test scores are submitted to the SFOs, which tells them you want to renew or are eligible to renew. The SFOs then submit those scores to a certain university--right now it's FSU--and that university puts all those scores into some kind of system that generates a composite score that shows the overall scores and results for the program. These composite scores will not be made public until the end of the 2027-2028 school year, at which point, again, they will be used to track the success of the program, not individual students.

Yes. PEP is its own attendance track (not just a scholarship), and your child cannot be enrolled in more than one attendance track at the same time. You will need to unenroll/withdraw your student from any other attendance track as soon as your child is funded.

There was a change to the statutes in the 2024 legislative session, so that PEP now allows for funds to be used for what the Scholarship Funding Organizations are calling "hybrid" options, i.e., part-time attendance at a private school. These "hybrid" options are private schools that allow PEP students to have regular, in-person attendance at the Florida Department of Education (Florida DOE) approved school location at least two days per week. However, the qualifying "hybrid" schools must be registered private schools with the Florida DOE and have been approved by the Florida DOE to offer hybrid learning to PEP students. You can search for qualifying schools in your district on the Florida DOE's website here: https://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/information/privateschooldirectory/. Just be sure to select the "PEP Hybrid Schools" option when searching.

Yes! The FTC/PEP statutes in 1002.395 refer to the definitions in statute 1002.01, which specifically states that "A personalized education student shall be provided the same flexibility and opportunities as provided in s. 1002.41(3)-(12)" -- the Home Education statutes. The eligibility for dual enrollment for home education students is referenced in those stated paragraphs, meaning those same rights also apply to PEP students.

Yes! The PEP statutes (1002.395) refer to the definitions in statute 1002.01, which specfically states that "A personalized education student shall be provided the same flexibility and opportunities as provided in s. 1002.41(3)-(12)" -- the Home Education statutes. These parentheses (3)-(12) include : (3) A home education program shall be excluded from meeting the requirements of a school day. (4) Home education students may participate in interscholastic extracurricular student activities in accordance with the provisions of s. 1006.15. (5) Home education students may participate in the Bright Futures Scholarship Program in accordance with the provisions of ss. 1009.53-1009.538. (6) Home education students may participate in dual enrollment programs in accordance with ss. 1007.27(4) and 1007.271(13). (7) Home education students are eligible for admission to Florida College System institutions in accordance with the provisions of s. 1007.263. (8) Home education students are eligible for admission to state universities in accordance with the policies and guidelines of the Board of Governors. (9) Testing and evaluation services at diagnostic and resource centers shall be available to home education program students, including, but not limited to, students with disabilities, in accordance with the provisions of s. 1006.03. (10) A school district may provide exceptional student education-related services, as defined in State Board of Education rule, to a home education program student with a disability who is eligible for the services and who enrolls in a public school solely for the purpose of receiving those related services. The school district providing the services shall report each student as a full-time equivalent student in the class and in a manner prescribed by the Department of Education, and funding shall be provided through the Florida Education Finance Program pursuant to s. 1011.62. (11) A school district may provide access to career and technical courses and programs for a home education program student who enrolls in a public school solely for the career and technical courses or programs. The school district that provides the career and technical courses and programs shall report each student as a full-time equivalent student in the class and in a manner prescribed by the department, and funding shall be provided through the Florida Education Finance Program pursuant to s. 1011.62. (12) Industry certifications, national assessments, and statewide, standardized assessments offered by a school district shall be available to home education program students. Each school district shall notify home education program students of the available certifications and assessments; the date, time, and locations for the administration of each certification and assessment; and the deadline for notifying the school district of the student’s intent to participate and the student’s preferred location. By Florida statute, all of the above flexibilities and opportunities apply equally to PEP students the same as to home education students registered with the county.

PEP (Personalized Education Program) is an option for parent-directed education in Florida, but done through a state-approved Scholarship Funding Organization rather than by submitting a letter of intent to the county like typical home education. PEP is defined in Statute 1002.01 : a “personalized education program” means the sequentially progressive instruction of a student directed by his or her parent to satisfy the attendance requirements of ss. 11003.01(16) and 1003.21(1) while registered with an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization pursuant to s. 1002.395. A personalized education student shall be provided the same flexibility and opportunities as provided in s. 1002.41(3)-(12)." PEP was separated out from home education in statute intentionally so that if regulations are added to PEP in the future, it will not impact Florida's home education law, but PEP was also constructed to mirror traditional home education as closely as possible. It is essentially home education with a scholarship, though some different requirements do apply (see the "What is the difference between PEP and Home Education with the County?" FAQ below for more info on these).

The categories for approved PEP scholarship expenses are listed in the FTC statutes 1002.395(d)(4)a-g, and are as follows: a. Tuition and fees for full-time or part-time enrollment in an eligible private school. b. Instructional materials, including digital materials and Internet resources. c. Curriculum as defined in s. 1002.394(2). d. Tuition and fees associated with full-time or part-time enrollment in a home education instructional program; an eligible postsecondary educational institution or a program offered by the postsecondary educational institution, unless the program is subject to s. 1009.25 or reimbursed pursuant to s. 1009.30; an approved preapprenticeship program as defined in s. 446.021(5) which is not subject to s. 1009.25 and complies with all applicable requirements of the Department of Education pursuant to chapter 1005; a private tutoring program authorized under s. 1002.43; a virtual program offered by a department-approved private online provider that meets the provider qualifications specified in s. 1002.45(2)(a); the Florida Virtual School as a private paying student; or an approved online course offered pursuant to s. 1003.499 or s. 1004.0961. e. Fees for nationally standardized, norm-referenced achievement tests, Advanced Placement Examinations, industry certification examinations, assessments related to postsecondary education, or other assessments. f. Contracted services provided by a public school or school district, including classes. A student who receives contracted services under this sub-subparagraph is not considered enrolled in a public school for eligibility purposes as specified in subsection (11) but rather attending a public school on a part-time basis as authorized under s. 1002.44. g. Tuition and fees for part-time tutoring services or fees for services provided by a choice navigator. Such services must be provided by a person who holds a valid Florida educator’s certificate pursuant to s. 1012.56, a person who holds an adjunct teaching certificate pursuant to s. 1012.57, a person who has a bachelor’s degree or a graduate degree in the subject area in which instruction is given, a person who has demonstrated a mastery of subject area knowledge pursuant to s. 1012.56(5), or a person certified by a nationally or internationally recognized research-based training program as approved by the Department of Education. As used in this paragraph, the term “part-time tutoring services” does not qualify as regular school attendance as defined in s. 1003.01(16)(e). More details about what is considered a qualifying purchase within each of these categories can be found in the Purchasing Guides for the respective Scholarship Funding Organizations -- Step Up for Students or AAA Scholarship Foundation.

Yes. PEP and Home Education are separate attendance tracks by statute, and your child cannot be enrolled in more than one attendance track at the same time. If your child was a home education student, but has now been awarded PEP, then you will need to submit a letter of termination to your county as soon as your child is funded. We have a template for a Letter of Termination available on our website at http://flhef.org/downloads.

Yes! The FES-UA (Unique Abilities) scholarship can be used for home education or for private school.

The Unique Abilities scholarship is designed for students with disabilities. It covers approved educational expenses, plus some therapy costs and more. You can find the detailed list of the approved expense categories, and the qualifying diagnoses for eligibility, in Florida statute 1002.394. You can also find detailed explanations of these things in the Handbooks and Purchasing Guides available through the scholarship funding organization of your choice (Step Up for Students -- http://stepupforstudents.org -- or AAA Scholarship Foundation -- https://www.aaascholarships.org/parents/florida.

There are currently two approved scholarship funding organizations for FES-UA in the state of Florida, and you may apply through either of them: Step Up for Students (http://stepupforstudents.org) and AAA Scholarship Foundation (https://www.aaascholarships.org/parents/florida/). You can only be awarded the scholarship through ONE of these scholarship funding organizations at a time, so you may want to do some research first as to the differences in administration and other factors between the two organizations, and choose the one which is the best fit for you.