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Florida is one of the most flexible states for home education. This guide covers the law under Florida Statute 1002.41, the steps to start, the records you keep, the scholarships that help pay for it, and the accredited online school option if you would rather not teach the material yourself.
In Florida, a home education program is a parent-directed education that satisfies the state's compulsory attendance requirement under Florida Statute 1002.41. The parent chooses the curriculum, directs the instruction, keeps a portfolio of the child's work, and arranges an annual evaluation. Home education has been protected in Florida law since 1985 and is one of several recognized ways to meet compulsory attendance.
Compulsory attendance in Florida applies to children who are 6 years old by February 1 of the school year through age 16. Home education is not the only at-home option: Florida law also recognizes enrolling with a private school, and instruction by a certified private tutor under Florida Statute 1002.43. Which route you choose changes the paperwork you owe the state, which is the point most families miss.
If you are homeschooling under Florida's home education statute, four steps take you from decision to a compliant program.
Send a written notice of intent to establish a home education program to your district school superintendent within 30 days of starting. If you are withdrawing a child from a public or private school, file first to avoid any truancy concern.
Maintain a log of educational activities that lists the reading materials used, plus samples of work. Florida law asks you to keep the portfolio for two years and make it available to the superintendent on 15 days' written notice.
Each year, document your child's progress through one accepted method, such as an evaluation by a Florida-certified teacher, a nationally normed standardized test, the state assessment, or another method agreed with the district, and provide it to the superintendent.
When your child completes the program or you move to another option, file a notice of termination with the district within 30 days. Keep copies of everything for college applications and any future transfer.
| Legal basis | Home education program under Florida Statute 1002.41 |
| Compulsory ages | 6 by February 1 of the school year, through age 16 (Florida Statute 1003.21) |
| Notice to file | Written notice of intent to the district school superintendent within 30 days of starting |
| Recordkeeping | Portfolio of activity log and work samples, kept 2 years, available on 15 days' notice |
| Annual evaluation | Required; several accepted methods, filed with the district each year |
| Required subjects | None mandated; parent directs a sequentially progressive program |
| Standardized testing | Not separately required; a nationally normed test is one accepted evaluation method |
This summary is a starting point, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with your district home education office or the Florida Department of Education before you withdraw a child from school.
Florida offers some of the country's broadest school choice funding, though the details depend on how your child is enrolled. Families who enroll in a participating private school use the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) and the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC), both administered by Step Up For Students, to help cover tuition.
Score Academy Online accepts Step Up For Students FES and FTC scholarships in Florida for its live, synchronous program, so eligible families can direct scholarship funds toward tuition at an accredited online private school with certified teachers.
Families who prefer to stay home-based can look at the Personalized Education Program (PEP), an education savings account offered through the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship for students not enrolled full time in a public or private school. One important catch: to receive PEP funds, a family must end its home education program with the district and become a PEP participant under PEP's own rules. We map the full picture on our Education Savings Accounts and school choice pages.
Florida's FES and FTC scholarships are not the same thing as an ESA, and Step Up For Students does not run a provider approval process, so no school is an "approved ESA provider" in Florida. The accurate way to describe it: Score Academy Online accepts Step Up FES and FTC scholarships in Florida.
Home education is only one of the ways Florida lets you satisfy compulsory attendance. Enrolling your child in an accredited private school is a separate route, and it changes what you owe the state. When a child is enrolled in a private school, you do not file a home education notice of intent, keep a portfolio, or arrange an annual evaluation. The school handles enrollment and records, and issues the transcript.
That is the practical case for an accredited online school. Score Academy Online is a Cognia-accredited online private school offering NCAA-approved courses for grades K–12, with certified teachers and both live and flexible learning options. You keep the flexibility of learning at home, your child gets real teachers and an accredited transcript colleges recognize, and eligible Florida families can put Step Up FES or FTC scholarship funds toward tuition. Explore the curriculum or read the full breakdown of online school versus homeschool.
Yes, if you homeschool under Florida's home education statute. You file a written notice of intent with your district school superintendent within 30 days of starting the program, and a notice of termination when you finish. You do not need the district's permission, only the notice.
Florida does not require a specific standardized test, but it does require an annual evaluation of the child's progress. A nationally normed standardized test is one accepted method, alongside evaluation by a Florida-certified teacher, the state assessment, or another method agreed with the district.
It depends on the curriculum and resources you choose, from very little using free materials to a few thousand dollars a year. Florida families enrolling in a participating private school can use Step Up For Students FES and FTC scholarships to offset tuition, and home-based families may qualify for the Personalized Education Program.
Yes. The Family Empowerment Scholarship and Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, administered by Step Up For Students, can be directed toward tuition at a participating private school. Score Academy Online accepts Step Up FES and FTC scholarships in Florida for its live, synchronous program.
No. Enrolling in an accredited online private school is a separate way to satisfy Florida's compulsory attendance, distinct from a home education program. When your child is enrolled in a private school, you do not file a home education notice, keep a portfolio, or complete the annual evaluation, because the school handles instruction, records, and the transcript.
Score Academy Online gives Florida families the flexibility of learning at home with certified teachers, accredited courses, and a transcript colleges recognize. Eligible families can use Step Up FES or FTC scholarships toward tuition. Talk to admissions about what fits your child.