Florida homeschool requirements

To homeschool in Florida, file a Notice of Intent with your county school superintendent within 30 days of starting, keep a portfolio for two years, and get an annual evaluation (one of five options) — then file a copy of that evaluation with the county every year. No mandated subjects or hours.

Last reviewed June 5, 2026 · corrected September 23, 2026 · Sources below

Moderate regulation Notice required Testing or evaluation

Another state:

Florida homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice: RequiredWhere it goes: District school superintendent of the county where the parent resides. When: Within 30 days of establishing the home-education program (and within 30 days of moving into a county).
Required subjects: No set list
Instruction time: NoneNo days or hours requirement for a home education program. The private-tutoring pathway is different: s. 1002.43(1)(c) requires the student to be in actual attendance for the minimum term set by s. 1011.60(2) — 180 actual teaching days or the equivalent on an hourly basis under State Board rule — and s. 1003.23(2) requires the tutor to keep a register of enrollment and attendance.
Testing or evaluation: Yes — annualAn annual evaluation is mandatory for every home-education program (not grade-pegged); the parent chooses among the five options. Filing it is a duty of its own: Fla. Stat. § 1002.41(1)(f) requires the parent to file a copy of the evaluation each year with the district school superintendent's office in the county where the student lives. The statute says 'annually' and names no calendar date, so confirm with your district office when it expects yours. The fourth option asks for a valid, active Florida license under chapter 490: a school psychologist who holds a Department of Education certificate and is working for a school is exempt from that license (s. 490.014(2)(d)) and so does not qualify. These are the home education program's duties; a child enrolled in a private school, taught by a certified private tutor, or registered in a PEP is not in a home education program and owes none of them.
Records: Yes — portfolio, work samples
Parent qualifications: Not required
Compulsory attendance ages: 6–16A child who will turn 6 by February 1 of a school year is covered from the start of that school year (Fla. Stat. § 1003.21(1)(a)1.). Attendance does not simply lapse at 16 — § 1003.21(1)(c) exempts a student who turns 16 during the school year only once a formal declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment is filed with the district school board, and the statute does not say how that applies to a student who has been home educated rather than enrolled in a district school.
Ways to homeschool: Four pathways
Law: Fla. Stat. § 1002.41
Official source: fldoe.org ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Florida?

Yes. Florida requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: District school superintendent of the county where the parent resides. How: Written Notice of Intent signed by the parent. When: Within 30 days of establishing the home-education program (and within 30 days of moving into a county). The NOI lists the full legal names, addresses, and birthdates of all children, and is filed once rather than renewed each year. When the program ends, Fla. Stat. § 1002.41(1)(c) requires a written notice of termination filed with the district school superintendent together with the annual evaluation, within 30 days of termination. This notice belongs to the home education pathway: a child enrolled in a private school, taught by a certified private tutor, or registered in a PEP is not in a home education program and does not file it.

What subjects does Florida require homeschoolers to teach?

Florida does not spell out a list of required subjects for homeschoolers. No state-mandated subjects; the parent chooses subject areas.

How many days or hours of instruction does Florida require?

None. Florida does not set a minimum number of instructional days or hours for homeschoolers. No days or hours requirement for a home education program. The private-tutoring pathway is different: s. 1002.43(1)(c) requires the student to be in actual attendance for the minimum term set by s. 1011.60(2) — 180 actual teaching days or the equivalent on an hourly basis under State Board rule — and s. 1003.23(2) requires the tutor to keep a register of enrollment and attendance.

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Florida?

Yes. Florida requires a test or another accepted form of evaluation. How often: Annual — a copy is filed with the county superintendent each year. Accepted options: Florida-certified teacher reviews the portfolio; nationally-normed achievement test (certified teacher administers); state student assessment (certified teacher administers); evaluation by a Florida-licensed psychologist or school psychologist (s. 490.003(7) or (8)); and other tool mutually agreed with the superintendent. An annual evaluation is mandatory for every home-education program (not grade-pegged); the parent chooses among the five options. Filing it is a duty of its own: Fla. Stat. § 1002.41(1)(f) requires the parent to file a copy of the evaluation each year with the district school superintendent's office in the county where the student lives. The statute says 'annually' and names no calendar date, so confirm with your district office when it expects yours. The fourth option asks for a valid, active Florida license under chapter 490: a school psychologist who holds a Department of Education certificate and is working for a school is exempt from that license (s. 490.014(2)(d)) and so does not qualify. These are the home education program's duties; a child enrolled in a private school, taught by a certified private tutor, or registered in a PEP is not in a home education program and owes none of them.

What records do I need to keep to homeschool in Florida?

Florida requires these records: portfolio: contemporaneous log of activities with reading materials by title and samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative work. How long, or where they go: 2 years. The portfolio is preserved for 2 years and made available to the superintendent on 15 days' written notice. The superintendent may not assign a grade level. These are the home education program's duties; a child enrolled in a private school, taught by a certified private tutor, or registered in a PEP is not in a home education program and owes none of them.

Do parents need a teaching certificate or other qualification to homeschool in Florida?

No. Florida does not set a general qualification for homeschooling parents. None for the parent. The evaluating teacher (option 1) must hold a valid Florida certificate.

What ages does Florida's compulsory attendance law cover?

Florida's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 6 to age 16. A child who will turn 6 by February 1 of a school year is covered from the start of that school year (Fla. Stat. § 1003.21(1)(a)1.). Attendance does not simply lapse at 16 — § 1003.21(1)(c) exempts a student who turns 16 during the school year only once a formal declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment is filed with the district school board, and the statute does not say how that applies to a student who has been home educated rather than enrolled in a district school.

What are the ways to homeschool in Florida?

In Florida, families homeschool under one of four pathways: home education program — notice of intent to your county superintendent, the portfolio, and the annual evaluation (s. 1002.41); enrollment in a Florida private school, including an umbrella school that serves home-educated families — the child attends that school, so the s. 1002.41 notice, portfolio and evaluation do not apply; Florida does not approve or accredit private schools (s. 1002.42(2)(h)), so check that the school files the state's annual private school survey before you rely on it (ss. 1002.42(2)(b), 1003.01(16)(c)); private tutoring by a person holding a valid Florida certificate to teach the subjects or grades taught — the tutor keeps a register of enrollment and attendance and makes regular attendance reports to the district, and the student attends for 180 actual teaching days or the hourly equivalent set by State Board rule (ss. 1002.43, 1003.23(2), 1011.60(2)); and personalized education program (PEP) — parent-directed instruction registered with an eligible scholarship-funding organization instead of a home education program (ss. 1002.395, 1003.01(16)(f)); places are capped and applications close on the organization's date, a PEP student may not also be in a home education program, and PEP carries its own annual norm-referenced test and student learning plan, so keep your present pathway until a place is confirmed.

Is homeschooling legal in Florida?

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Florida, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. To homeschool in Florida, file a Notice of Intent with your county school superintendent within 30 days of starting, keep a portfolio for two years, and get an annual evaluation (one of five options) — then file a copy of that evaluation with the county every year. No mandated subjects or hours.

How to get started in Florida

File a Notice of Intent with your county

Within 30 days of starting your home education program, send the school superintendent of the county where you live a written notice, signed by you, listing each child's full legal name, address, and birthdate (Fla. Stat. § 1002.41). You file it once, not every year — but if you move to another Florida county, file a new one there within 30 days.

Official resource (fldoe.org) →

Keep a portfolio

Keep a log of educational activities, written as you go, that names any reading materials by title, plus samples of your child's writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative work. Keep it for 2 years; the superintendent may ask to see it on 15 days' written notice.

Get an annual evaluation — and file a copy with your county

Each year, choose one: a Florida-certified teacher reviews the portfolio; a nationally normed achievement test given by a certified teacher; the state student assessment given by a certified teacher; an evaluation by a psychologist or school psychologist holding a valid, active Florida license under chapter 490 (a school psychologist who instead holds a Department of Education certificate and works for a school is exempt from that license, and so does not qualify); or another tool you and the superintendent agree on. Filing it is a second duty: Fla. Stat. § 1002.41(1)(f) requires you to file a copy of the evaluation each year with the district school superintendent's office in the county where your child lives. The statute requires it annually but names no calendar date, so ask your district office when it expects yours.

No required subjects, days, or hours for home education

Florida sets no required subjects and no minimum days or hours for a home education program — you choose what to teach, and the superintendent may not assign your child a grade level. Private tutoring is different: on that pathway the student attends for 180 actual teaching days (or the hourly equivalent set by State Board rule), and the tutor keeps a register of enrollment and attendance and makes regular attendance reports to the district.

Other Florida pathways

Home education is one of four routes, and the notice, portfolio and evaluation above belong only to it. You can enroll your child in a Florida private school, including an umbrella school that serves home-educated families — the child attends that school, so the s. 1002.41 notice, portfolio and evaluation do not apply; Florida does not approve or accredit private schools, so check that the school files the state's annual private school survey before you rely on it. You can use a private tutor who holds a valid Florida certificate for the subjects or grades taught, with the register and 180 days above. Or you can register a personalized education program (PEP) with an eligible scholarship-funding organization: a PEP student may not also be in a home education program, places are capped and applications close on the organization's date, and PEP carries its own annual test (a nationally norm-referenced test or the statewide assessment) and student learning plan — so keep your present pathway until a place is confirmed, and when you switch, end the home education program with the notice of termination and evaluation described below. The Family Empowerment Scholarship for students with unique abilities (FES-UA) is the opposite case: it does not exclude home education, and a home-educating FES-UA parent provides the same annual evaluation s. 1002.41(1)(f) already requires. A student may hold only one scholarship under chapter 1002 at a time.

If you stop

When your home education program ends, file a written notice of termination with the district school superintendent within 30 days — and file the annual evaluation together with it. Fla. Stat. § 1002.41(1)(c) requires both.

What Romeschool tracks for you: NOI filing, portfolio, and a yearly reminder for the evaluation you file with the county.

Generate your Florida Notice of Intent →Florida funding & ESAs Find field trips in Florida

If you take an ESA, your homeschool status changes: PROGRAM-DEPENDENT: PEP REPLACES homeschooling (terminate home-ed status, register with the SFO). FES-UA PRESERVES it (keep the s.1002.41 notice of intent). Never imply one uniform FL flow.

Sources for Florida

Official source (fldoe.org) ↗HSLDA's Florida summary ↗

Statute: Fla. Stat. § 1002.41

Last reviewed: June 5, 2026

Corrected: September 23, 2026, after re-reading the official source for what changed

Every requirement above comes from our review of Florida’s rules, checked against these sources on June 5, 2026 and corrected on September 23, 2026 after re-reading the official source for what changed. Homeschool law changes, and a state can amend its rules between our reviews — read the official source before you file anything or rely on a date here. How we review state requirements.

Nearby states

States that share a border with Florida:

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