Homeschool Funding in Florida

The Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES)

Florida's Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) is one of the most generous school choice programs in the country, and homeschool families can access it.

As of 2025-2026, the scholarship provides approximately $8,000 or more per student per year. The exact amount varies slightly based on the funding formula, but it has been increasing. This money goes into a personalized spending account that you can use for approved educational expenses.

What the FES Covers

• Curriculum and textbooks
• Online courses and learning programs
• Tutoring services
• Therapy services (speech, occupational, behavioral)
• Testing fees
• Educational technology (computers, tablets for learning)
• Part-time enrollment in private school courses
• Contributions to a prepaid college plan or 529 savings account

Who Qualifies

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Florida expanded the FES to universal eligibility. That means every Florida student is eligible regardless of family income. Whether your household income is $40,000 or $400,000, your child can qualify.

How to Apply

Applications go through Step Up For Students (stepupforstudents.org), which is the nonprofit scholarship funding organization that administers the program. The application window typically opens in February for the following school year, but there are rolling acceptance periods. Apply early because funding can be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis in some situations.

One important note: if you accept the FES, your child must take a nationally normed standardized test each year. This is separate from the home education evaluation requirement. The results are reported to Step Up For Students. There is no minimum score requirement for the test, but you do have to take it.

I cannot overstate how much the FES changes the economics of homeschooling. $8,000 per child per year covers a lot of curriculum, co-op fees, extracurricular activities, and tutoring. If you're homeschooling in Florida and haven't looked into this, do it today.

Florida Virtual School (FLVS)

Florida Virtual School is a free, state-funded online school that any Florida resident can access. While FLVS offers full-time enrollment, many homeschool families use it as a supplement. You can cherry-pick individual courses without enrolling full-time.

This is incredibly useful for subjects where you want a structured course with a real teacher. Maybe your teenager wants AP Chemistry and you don't feel equipped to teach it. Sign them up for that one class through FLVS. It's free, it's accredited, and it comes with a teacher who grades the work.

FLVS Flex (the part-time option) lets students work at their own pace, which fits naturally into a homeschool schedule. They also offer some courses that are instructor-led with set deadlines, which can be good for kids who need more external accountability.

Keep in mind that FLVS courses will appear on an official transcript, which can be helpful for college admissions. Many homeschool families use a mix of parent-taught courses and FLVS to build a strong high school transcript.