Florida Homeschooling Scholarships
aka Vouchers
aka ESAs
aka state funding
Florida currently offers two scholarships that can be used for homeschooling. These provide funds that are deposited in an account on behalf of a specific student. The funds can be spent on expenses approved by Florida law.
Both scholarships are administered by scholarship funding organizations:
Step Up for Students and AAA Scholarships.
Step Up for Students currently administers the vast majority of these scholarships.
Both scholarships are administered by scholarship funding organizations:
Step Up for Students and AAA Scholarships.
Step Up for Students currently administers the vast majority of these scholarships.
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Family Empowerment Scholarship: Unique Abilities (or FES-UA or UA) *Available to students as young as 3 *Requires a documented qualifying special need--with IEP or medical diagnosis *Does not require preschool-aged students to be enrolled in any official education program *Can be used for home education or enrollment in a private school *Applications for 2026-2027 are open from Feb. 1 to Nov. 15, 2026 |
Personalized Education Program (or PEP) *Available to k-12 students who will be at least 5 years old on Sept. 1st *Currently gives priority to lower income students *Parent names a grade level for the student *Cannot be used with home education nor fulltime school enrollment *Applications for 2026-2027 closed at the end of April 2026 |
Q1: I'm confused! Why am I not supposed to send a Letter of Intent for a student with the PEP?
--- Q2: I don't get it. Why do I have to terminate my Letter of Intent to use the PEP? I'm still homeschooling even though I got the PEP. ==== A: Homeschool parents pushed behind the scenes to have the PEP separate from home education. The PEP has different requirements. Home education parents wanted to prevent officials from accidentally adding those requirements to students not taking PEP funds. We wanted to keep the right to portfolio review evaluations and alternate evaluation options and not have to do testing. Homeschoolers in other areas who've taken government funding have eventually lost freedom as tax payers push for more restrictions in spending of tax dollars. Home education parents didn't want to fall victim to that eventual loss of freedom. So Florida law has different records that must be kept for the two homeschooling options (Home Education has a Letter of Intent but the PEP has a Student Learning Plan) by two different organizations (Home Education records are filed with the school district's home education contact but PEP records are kept by the scholarship funding organization) with different end of year reporting options and deadlines (Home Education evaluations are due by the anniversary of the Letter of Intent with individual children having different deadlines (and within 30 days of stopping home education) while PEP test results must be submitted by a specific date by all PEP recipients.) |
Removing a child from a Florida public or charter school to homeschool with a scholarship?
Before the scholarship takes effect, the student must be withdrawn from the school. The student cannot be a fulltime public or charter school student with these scholarships. This standard withdrawal form should be signed by an official in the Florida public or private school (in most cases at the end of one school year to start the scholarship the next school year): 
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How can scholarship funds be spent?
The regulations vary for the two scholarships. For more accurate information, look for the latest Purchasing Guide for the Scholarship Funding Organization.
How do I find the most accurate information on how the scholarships work?
Look for the current Parents Handbook for the scholarship of your choice.
Note that a lot of misinformation is given out online in unofficial scholarship groups. The bigger scholarship funding organization uses a call center that has a reputation for less-than-trustworthy information. Their chat feature seems to give better information.
Note that a lot of misinformation is given out online in unofficial scholarship groups. The bigger scholarship funding organization uses a call center that has a reputation for less-than-trustworthy information. Their chat feature seems to give better information.
What if I'm having issues with a scholarship?
If you are unsuccessful with reading through their Parent Handbook and Purchasing Guide and don't find the chat feature to be helpful, you may wish to reach out to [email protected] for assistance.
Q: I applied for the PEP for my child, but I know that not everyone who applies will get it. Should I send a Letter of Intent now until I see if I'm funded?
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A: If you applied for the PEP and are told your child has been awarded the PEP (the word "awarded" is important), you should withdraw your child from any previous fulltime educational program: withdraw from a school or terminate home education program. Florida law says that students who are enrolled fulltime in a school or home education program should not be funded through the PEP.
But the PEP will not cover your child if your child was not awarded the PEP. If your child is not awarded the PEP for the new school year, you will need to have your school-age child enrolled in some other official Florida educational program.
If your child has not been awarded the PEP by the beginning of the school year, and you still wish to homeschool, you should file a Letter of Intent.
Funding will not happen until September. There is no guarantee of funding for new applicants. Be cautious of spending money you cannot afford. Items purchased after July 1st can be reimbursed if funded, and some purchases earlier than that may be reimbursable, too.The Purchasing Guide goes over the reimbursement process.
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A: If you applied for the PEP and are told your child has been awarded the PEP (the word "awarded" is important), you should withdraw your child from any previous fulltime educational program: withdraw from a school or terminate home education program. Florida law says that students who are enrolled fulltime in a school or home education program should not be funded through the PEP.
But the PEP will not cover your child if your child was not awarded the PEP. If your child is not awarded the PEP for the new school year, you will need to have your school-age child enrolled in some other official Florida educational program.
If your child has not been awarded the PEP by the beginning of the school year, and you still wish to homeschool, you should file a Letter of Intent.
Funding will not happen until September. There is no guarantee of funding for new applicants. Be cautious of spending money you cannot afford. Items purchased after July 1st can be reimbursed if funded, and some purchases earlier than that may be reimbursable, too.The Purchasing Guide goes over the reimbursement process.
