A Florida Family's Guide to Homeschool Scholarships

Florida has become one of the most supportive states in the nation for families who choose to educate their children at home — not only legally, but financially. Through the state's scholarship programs, many Florida homeschool families now receive thousands of dollars a year toward the cost of their child's education. For families new to the landscape, though, the programs and acronyms can be genuinely confusing. Here is the plain version.

The programs, in plain terms

Florida's major scholarships are administered by Scholarship Funding Organizations — most prominently Step Up For Students. For homeschool families, three programs matter most:

The Personalized Education Program (PEP) is the primary scholarship for homeschoolers. It functions as an education savings account — funds the family directs toward approved educational expenses. Awards average roughly $8,000 per year, varying by the child's grade level and county. PEP is open to K-12 Florida residents who are not enrolled full-time in a public or private school, and there is no income requirement to qualify, though lower-income families receive funding priority.

The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) serves students ages 3 through 22 with qualifying diagnoses or IEPs. Awards average around $10,000, and more for students with significant needs.

The Family Empowerment Scholarship — Educational Options (FES-EO) is used mainly for private-school tuition, but can support certain part-time homeschool arrangements.

What the funds can pay for

The flexibility of these accounts is the point. PEP funds can generally be applied to curriculum and instructional materials, online learning programs, part-time instruction, educational technology — and tutoring. That last category matters: scholarship funds can be used for qualified instructional support, which is why approved providers are part of the system. KingCretot Experience is an approved Step Up For Students provider, and eligible families can apply scholarship funds toward our tutoring.

What the state asks in return

A scholarship comes with responsibilities. Families using PEP are generally required, each year, to submit a Student Learning Plan describing the child's instruction, to have the student take a state-approved norm-referenced test and submit the results, and to sign a compliance statement. It is also worth understanding a subtle but important point: accepting a scholarship changes a child's legal status from “home education student” to “scholarship student,” which carries its own set of rules. Neither path is better in the abstract — but families should choose deliberately.

The timeline, and a word of advice

These programs run on an annual cycle. Applications for an upcoming school year typically open around February, with a priority deadline near the end of April. Funding is also capped — the PEP program, for example, has enrollment limits set by law — so applying early genuinely matters. Families who miss a cycle should get on the interest list for the next one rather than wait.

The most important advice is simply this: do not leave money unclaimed because the paperwork looked complicated. For many Florida families, these scholarships turn a committed homeschool into a far more affordable one. At KingCretot Experience, we work with scholarship families regularly, and we are glad to help you understand how our programs fit alongside your funding.

Please note: Scholarship program details — award amounts, eligibility, deadlines, and enrollment caps — change from year to year. Always confirm current information directly with Step Up For Students at stepupforstudents.org before making decisions.

Sources & Further Reading

• Step Up For Students — official program information for PEP, FES-UA, and FES-EO. stepupforstudents.org
• Florida scholarship program eligibility and award guidelines, 2025–26 and 2026–27 cycles.