Homeschooling in Florida: Laws & Requirements (2026)

Florida has become one of the nation's most popular homeschooling destinations, and for good reason. The state offers genuine flexibility: no required subjects, no mandatory testing, and no minimum instructional hours for the home education program. What you do need is a portfolio of your child's work and an annual evaluation—but even that evaluation can be a simple conversation with a certified teacher rather than a formal test.

The real story in Florida for 2026 is funding. The Personalized Education Program provides roughly $8,000 per student annually for educational expenses, available to nearly all families regardless of income. Combined with Tim Tebow law access to public school sports and free FLVS online courses, Florida gives homeschool families both freedom and resources.

Florida Homeschool Requirements at a Glance

Your Homeschool Options in Florida

Florida provides three distinct legal pathways for home education. Most families choose the Home Education Program for its balance of minimal requirements and complete curriculum freedom.

Home Education Program (Florida Statute 1002.41): The most popular option. File a one-time Notice of Intent, maintain a portfolio, and complete an annual evaluation. No specific subjects, hours, or curriculum requirements. You have full control over your child's education.

Umbrella School (Private School Satellite): Enroll in a private school that allows home-based instruction. The school handles administrative requirements—some provide transcripts, diplomas, and support services. You'll typically need 180 instructional days and attendance records.

Private Tutor: Requires a Florida-certified teacher to provide instruction. Must maintain 180 instructional days. This option is rarely used due to the teacher certification requirement.

Each pathway has tradeoffs. The home education program offers maximum flexibility with moderate record-keeping. Umbrella schools provide administrative support but may have curriculum guidelines. Private tutoring provides the most structure but least flexibility.

Comparing Your Options

How to Start Homeschooling in Florida

Annual Evaluation Requirements

The annual evaluation is Florida's primary accountability mechanism, but it's more flexible than many parents realize. Testing is just one of five options—and not even the most popular one.

Option 1: Portfolio Review by a Certified Teacher — The most common choice. A Florida-certified teacher reviews your portfolio and discusses your child's progress. This is NOT a test—it's a conversation about your educational activities and your child's work samples. Costs typically run $50-75 for virtual reviews.

Option 2: Nationally Normed Achievement Test — Tests like the Iowa, Stanford, or CAT administered by a certified teacher. Results stay between you and the evaluator; you don't report scores to the district.

Option 3: State Assessment — The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) or Florida Standards Alternate Assessment (FSAA), administered under district-approved conditions.

Option 4: Psychological Evaluation — Conducted by a Florida-licensed psychologist. More expensive but valuable for children with learning differences who may not test well traditionally.

Option 5: Mutually Agreed Method — Any evaluation approach agreed upon between you and the superintendent. Rarely used but available.

The deadline is your Notice of Intent anniversary date. Districts cannot impose other deadlines. If an evaluation shows insufficient progress, you'll receive written notice and have one year to provide corrective instruction before re-evaluation.

Portfolio Requirements

Your portfolio serves two purposes: documenting your child's education and satisfying the annual evaluation requirement. Florida law specifies what must be included.

Required contents: A log of educational activities made "contemporaneously with instruction"—meaning you document as you go, not reconstruct later. Include titles of reading materials used. Add samples of student work: writings, worksheets, workbooks, and creative materials.

Retention period: Keep your portfolio for two years minimum. For high schoolers, keep everything through graduation and beyond—colleges may request documentation, and you'll want records for transcript creation.

Inspection rights: The district superintendent can request to inspect your portfolio, but only with 15 days written notice. Inspections are rare and not routine. You're never required to show your portfolio without proper advance notice.

Practical approach: Spend five minutes daily documenting. Let your child help choose showcase pieces. A representative selection beats trying to keep everything. Date all samples and organize by subject or month—whatever system you'll actually maintain.

Portfolio Essentials

Florida Homeschool Funding Options

Florida offers substantial funding for home education through several scholarship programs. The amounts and eligibility have expanded significantly in recent years.

Personalized Education Program (PEP): Approximately $8,000 annually for students NOT enrolled full-time in public or private school. Available regardless of household income. Funds cover curriculum, tutoring, assessments, online programs, and hybrid private school tuition. Requires annual norm-referenced testing and a Student Learning Plan. Important: PEP participants must exit the Home Education Program—you file a Notice of Termination with the district.

Family Empowerment Scholarship - Educational Options (FES-EO): Universal eligibility since 2023 for all Florida K-12 students. Uses an ESA model for flexible spending on tuition, curriculum, tutoring, and educational materials. Priority given to families below 400% of the federal poverty level.

Family Empowerment Scholarship - Unique Abilities (FES-UA): For students ages 3-22 with qualifying disabilities. Average scholarship around $10,000, with higher amounts ($22,000-34,000) for students with greater needs. Can fund private school, therapies, curriculum, and tutoring.

Application timing: The 2026-27 PEP application window opens February 1, 2026, with renewals due by April 30, 2026. Apply through Step Up For Students or AAA Scholarship Foundation.

Key restriction: You can only receive ONE state scholarship at a time. And notably, PEP does NOT cover computers or technology purchases.

High School, Graduation & Beyond

Florida homeschool parents set their own graduation requirements and issue diplomas. There's no state-mandated course list or credit requirements for home education students—you determine what constitutes a complete high school education for your child.

Creating transcripts: You're responsible for documenting courses, grades, and credits. Include course titles, years taken, credit hours (typically 1.0 for year-long courses), and final grades. Calculate a cumulative GPA. Florida universities accept parent-created transcripts from home education students.

Bright Futures eligibility: Home education students can qualify for Florida's Bright Futures scholarship. You'll need SAT/ACT scores meeting the threshold, documented community service hours, and a completed Florida Financial Aid Application.

Dual enrollment: Florida actively supports homeschoolers taking college courses. Eligibility requires a 3.0 GPA for college credit courses or 2.0 for career courses, plus SAT, ACT, or PERT scores. Registration and tuition are free for dual enrollment students—you pay only for books and materials. Contact your local college's Dual Enrollment Coordinator to begin.

College preparation: Beyond transcripts, consider standardized tests (SAT/ACT), a course description document, and potentially a portfolio of significant work. Florida's major universities including UF, FSU, and UCF all have established processes for homeschool applicants.

Sports and Extracurricular Access

Florida's Tim Tebow Law (formally the Craig Dickinson Act, Florida Statute 1006.15) gives home education students equal access to public school extracurricular activities. Named after the homeschooled Heisman Trophy winner who played high school football at Allen D. Nease High School, this law opened doors that many states still keep closed.

What you can access: Sports teams, marching bands, drama clubs, and other extracurricular activities at your assigned public school or a school chosen through controlled open enrollment. Some FHSAA member private schools also accept homeschool participants.

Eligibility requirements: Your child must be registered as a home education student with the district, maintain a 2.0 GPA equivalent, meet the same conduct and residency requirements as enrolled students, and register intent to participate before the season begins. Health and fitness requirements (physicals) apply equally.

Academic verification: You'll need to demonstrate academic eligibility through transcripts, portfolio documentation, and/or standardized test scores.

FLVS courses: Beyond athletics, Florida Virtual School (FLVS) Flex offers free online courses to home education students. These courses can supplement your curriculum, provide transcript-ready grades, and prepare students for state assessments if desired.

Umbrella Schools: An Alternative Path

Umbrella schools (also called cover schools or private school satellites) offer an alternative to the Home Education Program. Instead of registering directly with your county superintendent, you enroll in a private school that allows home-based instruction.

Benefits: Greater privacy (private schools don't disclose student information without consent), administrative support (report cards, transcripts, diplomas), and potentially less paperwork. Some umbrella schools offer curriculum guidance, field trips, and group activities.

Requirements: You'll typically need 180 instructional days and attendance records. The school may have curriculum guidelines, though most offer significant flexibility.

Costs: Vary widely. Some umbrella schools are free or charge minimal fees; others cost several hundred dollars annually for premium services.

Considerations: Umbrella school students may have different requirements for public school sports eligibility. If you plan to use the Tim Tebow Law, verify how umbrella enrollment affects participation.

FPEA maintains an umbrella school directory at fpea.com. Research thoroughly before enrolling—quality and services vary significantly between providers.

Special Situations

Kindergarten: Not mandatory in Florida. Compulsory attendance begins at age 6. If your child turns 6 during the school year, you have until their birthday to file your Notice of Intent.

Mid-year withdrawal: Florida allows withdrawal at any point. File your Notice of Intent within 30 days of beginning homeschool. The district cannot delay or deny your withdrawal.

Moving counties: File a new Notice of Intent with your new county superintendent. Send a Notice of Termination to your previous county. Your evaluation deadline typically remains your original anniversary date.

Returning to public school: Your child may face placement testing to determine grade level. Keep thorough records even beyond the two-year minimum—they help demonstrate appropriate academic progress.

Special needs: The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities (FES-UA) provides enhanced funding for students with disabilities. Note that IDEA protections generally don't extend to home education, though Florida offers some services through Child Find.

The Bottom Line

Florida provides a genuinely flexible homeschool environment with robust funding options. The core requirements—Notice of Intent, portfolio, annual evaluation—are manageable, and the evaluation offers enough options that you can find an approach fitting your family's style.

The funding landscape deserves serious consideration. Programs like PEP provide real financial support, though they come with their own requirements including accountability testing. Weigh the tradeoffs against your priorities for curriculum freedom and administrative simplicity.

Your first step: decide between the Home Education Program and an umbrella school, then file your Notice of Intent (or enrollment paperwork). Set up your portfolio system from day one, and identify an evaluator before you need one. Florida's homeschool community is large and active—you'll find plenty of support along the way.