Homeschool funding & ESAs in Florida

Can I get paid to homeschool in Florida?

Not as a salary. What Florida offers is an education savings account: the Personalized Education Program (PEP) / Step Up For Students puts about $8,000 per student per year into an account you spend on expenses the program approves, rather than paying you to teach. An ESA comes with conditions — what the money may be spent on, what has to be reported, and in some states whether the child is still counted as a homeschooler. The program details below set those out. Romeschool tracks and organizes what you spend, so a receipt is ready the moment a program asks for one — it never files or submits anything on your behalf. It runs the other way too: Florida's homeschool rules require a test or an evaluation each year. The accepted options, and who administers each, are in the testing line below. If the option you choose charges a fee, plan for it.

Florida ESA program

What does Florida require of homeschoolers — and what should I plan for?

Florida requires a test or an evaluation each year. That is the part of the year a family arranges ahead of time. Which options Florida accepts — and who administers each one — is in the testing line below, in the reviewed rules' own words. If the option you choose charges a fee, plan for it. What Florida asks for — notice, instruction time, testing and records — is set out below, straight from the reviewed rules.

Notice

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.

Testing or evaluation

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.

Days and hours

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.

Records

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.

Full Florida homeschool requirements →

Common questions about homeschool funding in Florida

Does Florida have an education savings account (ESA) for homeschoolers?

Yes. Florida offers the Personalized Education Program (PEP) / Step Up For Students (about $8,000 per student per year), which independent homeschooling families can use for approved education expenses. Taking it changes the child's legal status — the note above the programs on this page says how. Florida's Personalized Education Program (PEP, Fla. Stat. § 1002.395) is a separate, scholarship-funded form of parent-directed education — not a way to fund a home education program. Section 1002.395(4)(e) makes a student ineligible for the scholarship while participating in a home education program as defined in § 1002.01(1), so a family takes one route or the other, not both. A PEP family registers with an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization (Step Up For Students is one), submits a student learning plan and revises it at least annually, and has the student take a nationally norm-referenced test identified by the Department of Education or the statewide assessment under § 1008.22. A home education program is ended by the written notice of termination under § 1002.41(1)(c), filed with the annual evaluation. The Family Empowerment Scholarship for students with unique abilities (FES-UA, § 1002.394(3)(b)) is the opposite case: its prohibitions in § 1002.394(6) do not exclude home education, and § 1002.394(10)(b) has a home-educating FES-UA parent provide the annual evaluation required by § 1002.41(1)(f). A student may hold only one scholarship under chapter 1002 at a time (§ 1002.394(6)(c)).

How much is Florida's homeschool ESA worth?

Personalized Education Program (PEP) / Step Up For Students provides approximately $8,000 per eligible student per year. Awards and eligibility change from year to year — confirm the current amount with the program before you rely on it.

Nationwide grants

• ACT Today! Grant · Autism Care Today
  For U.S. families of a child with an autism diagnosis (priority to household income under $100k).
  Open to any family of a child with autism — not homeschool-specific, but useful for therapy costs.
• Dyslexia Services Foundation Grant · Dyslexia Services Foundation
  For low-income U.S. children with dyslexia who cannot otherwise afford treatment (need shown via free/reduced lunch, Medicaid, or SNAP).
  Typically identified through a teacher or provider; not homeschool-specific.
• HSLDA Compassion Curriculum Grant · Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
  For HSLDA members with significant financial need (legal custody of a child 6-19, homeschooling 3+ months).
  You must privately fund your homeschool (not receiving ESA or other public funds).
• HSLDA Disaster Relief Grant · Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
  For homeschooling families (child 6-19) with physical disaster damage in the past 18 months.
• MyGOAL Autism Grant · MyGOAL Inc.
  For the primary caregiver of a child under 18 with autism, with demonstrated financial need.
  Open to any family of a child with autism — not homeschool-specific.
• Our Military Kids Grant · Our Military Kids
  For children (1-18) of deployed National Guard/Reserve members (60+ days) or of post-9/11 combat-injured service members and veterans.
  Funds organized, provider-led activities (not parent-taught core instruction).
• UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation Grant · UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation
  For U.S. children aged 16 or under with commercial (non-public) health insurance, subject to income guidelines.
  Medical (not education) funding — useful for special-needs homeschoolers' therapy costs.

Full details, amounts and deadlines for every program →