Homeschooling in Florida? Here’s your plan.
some requirementsThousands of Florida families homeschool successfully. The process has more steps than some states, but every one is manageable, and we'll walk you through it.
Florida has a clear, well-defined home education law. Under Fla. Stat. 1002.41, the process comes down to three things: file a written notice of intent with your county school district superintendent, keep a portfolio, and complete an annual evaluation. Beyond that, you decide what and how you teach.
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Florida homeschool requirements include conditions and exceptions. Compare the pathways below and read the conditions alongside each supported requirement.
Source: Fla. Stat. 1002.41. Last reviewed October 2026. Current through the Florida legislative session that ended June 5, 2026.
- Regulation level
- Moderate
- Compulsory ages
- 6–16
- Notification required
- Yes — simple notice to county school district superintendent Within 30 days of beginning the home education program
- Assessment required
- Yes — Standardized test or Teacher evaluation or Other approved method, annually
- Required subjects
- None mandated
- Primary statute
- Fla. Stat. 1002.41
- Attendance is required until age 16 under s. 1003.21(1)(a)1.; a student who turns 16 leaves compulsory attendance only after filing a formal declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment with the district school board.
Conditions and exceptions
Age rules
- Attendance is required until age 16 under s. 1003.21(1)(a)1.; a student who turns 16 leaves compulsory attendance only after filing a formal declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment with the district school board.
Home Education Program
- The notice must be in writing, signed by the parent, and include the full legal names, addresses, and birthdates of all children enrolled in the home education program (s. 1002.41(1)(a)).
- The parent selects one of five evaluation methods and files a copy of the evaluation annually with the district school superintendent: a Florida-certified teacher's evaluation after reviewing the portfolio and talking with the student; any nationally normed achievement test administered by a certified teacher; a state student assessment administered by a certified teacher; an evaluation by a licensed psychologist (s. 490.003(7) or (8)); or another valid tool agreed with the superintendent (s. 1002.41(1)(f)). Only the one chosen method is filed, not all listed types.
Private Tutoring
- The tutor keeps all records and makes all reports required by the state and the district school board, including regular attendance reports under s. 1003.23(2) (s. 1002.43(1)(b)). State law sets no other filing for private tutoring; which reports apply, and when, is set by the district school board.
- Duties under s. 1002.43 fall on the person tutoring the student, who must hold a valid Florida certificate to teach the subjects or grades taught; when a parent is the certified tutor, these are the parent's duties.
- Florida law requires no withdrawal letter when a child moves to a private tutoring program.
- The tutor must require the student to be in actual attendance for the minimum length of time prescribed by s. 1011.60(2) (s. 1002.43(1)(c)): a term of 180 actual teaching days or the equivalent on an hourly basis as specified by rules of the State Board of Education.
- The minimum term is 180 actual teaching days or the hourly equivalent specified by rules of the State Board of Education (s. 1011.60(2)); the statute itself states no annual hour figure.
- No minimum hours per day is set. The minimum term is 180 actual teaching days or the hourly equivalent set by State Board of Education rule (ss. 1002.43(1)(c), 1011.60(2)).
- State law sets no testing for private tutoring. The tutor makes all reports required by the state and the district school board (s. 1002.43(1)(b)), so any assessment reporting is set by the district school board.
- The tutor keeps all records required by law and by rules of the State Board of Education and district school boards, including a register of enrollment and attendance (ss. 1002.43(2), 1003.23(2)). State law itself requires no grade records; any are set by those rules.
- The tutor keeps all records required by law and by rules of the State Board of Education and district school boards, including a register of enrollment and attendance (ss. 1002.43(2), 1003.23(2)). State law itself requires no portfolio; any further records are set by those rules.
- The tutor makes all reports required by the state and the district school board (s. 1002.43(1)(b); s. 1003.23(2)). State law sets no yearly renewal of its own for private tutoring; whether one applies, and when, is set by the district school board.
- Private tutors must submit all reports required by law, State Board of Education rules and district school board rules (s. 1003.23(2); s. 1002.43(1)(b)). State law names no progress report of its own for private tutoring; which reports apply is set by those rules.
Private School (Including Umbrella/Cover Schools)
- State law requires no notice from the family when a child attends a private school. If the child is leaving a home education program, the parent files a written notice of termination, with the annual evaluation, with the district school superintendent within 30 days (s. 1002.41(1)(c)).
- Attendance at a private school satisfies Florida's attendance law (s. 1002.42(7)). The private school, not the family, files the annual private school survey with the Department of Education (s. 1002.42(2)(b)) and its officials, teachers and employees keep records under s. 1003.23(2) (s. 1002.42(4)).
- Florida law requires no withdrawal letter when a child moves to a private school. If the child is leaving a home education program, the parent files a written notice of termination, with the annual evaluation, with the district school superintendent within 30 days (s. 1002.41(1)(c)).
- State law sets no teacher qualification for the family; the Legislature does not regulate, control, approve or accredit private schools (s. 1002.42(2)(h)). Private schools that take state scholarship students must meet the requirements of s. 1002.421 (s. 1002.395(8)(a)).
- State law requires no testing of a private school student's family. If the child uses a Family Empowerment Scholarship or Florida Tax Credit Scholarship at the private school, the parent must have the child take the norm-referenced assessment offered by the school (ss. 1002.394(10)(a)7. and 1002.395(7)(a)7.), and the school must annually administer or arrange a nationally norm-referenced test or the statewide assessments for scholarship students in grades 3 through 10 (ss. 1002.394(9)(c)1. and 1002.395(8)(c)1.).
- Records duties fall on the private school's officials, teachers and employees (s. 1002.42(4), s. 1003.23(2)), not on the family.
The essentials under the Home Education Program
- 1Notification requirements vary by pathway
- 2Assessment requirements vary by pathway
- 3Instructional time requirements vary by pathway
- 4Reporting requirements vary by pathway
Florida offers 3 options. See all below.
What to know about homeschooling in Florida
Florida does not list required subjects or a required curriculum for home education families. Fla. Stat. 1002.01 defines a home education program as "the sequentially progressive instruction of a student directed by his or her parent," and Fla. Stat. 1003.21(1)(b) bars the state and school districts from controlling home education curricula. Fla. Stat. 1002.41(3) also excludes home education programs from the school day requirements.
You keep a portfolio with a log of educational activities (naming any reading materials by title) and samples of your child's work. Each year you arrange one of five evaluation options, such as a review by a Florida-certified teacher or a nationally normed test, and file a copy with your county superintendent's office.
Your notice of intent is filed once, within 30 days of starting your program. It is not an annual renewal. When your home education program ends, you file a written termination notice, along with the annual evaluation, within 30 days.
Florida also offers education funding through scholarship programs, including the Personalized Education Program (PEP) and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA). Both are voluntary. Receiving PEP does not change your home education obligations under Fla. Stat. 1002.41, and the program adds its own requirements, such as a Student Learning Plan.
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Every fact checked against official state law
- Facts backed by official law
- 106 / 106
- Quoted word for word from the law
- 104
- Confirmed not required by law
- 2
Explore the individual claims and cited sources behind this state's requirements.
39
source records linked
Additional reference links: 3 sources including the state DOE and HSLDA.
Review status
Last reviewed October 2026. We check Florida's official sources for changes twice a week.
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How homeschooling works in Florida
Florida offers 3 options to homeschool. The most common is highlighted.
Florida recognizes three ways to educate your child outside a public school. The Home Education Program under Fla. Stat. 1002.41 is run by the parent and offers the most flexibility. Private tutoring under Fla. Stat. 1002.43 requires a tutor who holds a valid Florida teaching certificate. Enrolling in a private school, including an umbrella or cover school, under Fla. Stat. 1002.42 makes your child a private school student rather than a home education student. For that route, state law puts the survey and records duties on the school, not the family; scholarship students take the school's norm-referenced test.
| Home Education ProgramMost common | Private Tutoring | Including Umbrella/Cover Schools | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filing | One-time (Within 30 days of beginning the home education program) | None | None |
| Testing | Test or Evaluation or other, annually | None | None |
| Credential | None | Teaching credential | None |
| Hours/days | None | 180 days/yr | None |
| Records | Portfolio | Attendance | Attendance |
Home Education Program
Notification
Varies by pathway
Fla. Stat. §1002.41(1)(a) ·
Required subjects
See curriculum requirements in the cited source
Fla. Stat. §1002.01(1) ·
Testing / assessment
Varies by pathway
Fla. Stat. §1002.41(1)(f) ·
Instructional time
Varies by pathway
Sourced from Fla. Stat. 1002.41. Last reviewed October 2026 · 38 individual claims tracked
Private Tutoring
Notification
None required
Required subjects
See curriculum requirements in the cited source
Fla. Stat. §1002.43(1) ·
Testing / assessment
None required
Instructional time
180 days/year
Sourced from Fla. Stat. 1002.43. Last reviewed October 2026 · 27 individual claims tracked
Private School (Including Umbrella/Cover Schools)
Fla. Stat. 1002.01(3), 1002.42
Notification
None required
Required subjects
See curriculum requirements in the cited source
Testing / assessment
None required
Instructional time
See instructional-time requirements in the cited source
Fla. Stat. §1002.42 ·
Sourced from Fla. Stat. 1002.01(3), 1002.42. Last reviewed October 2026 · 25 individual claims tracked
Forms and filings
Home Education Program Notice of Intent
Issued by: county school district superintendent
When due: Within 30 days of beginning the home education program
Florida-specific tips
Practical guidanceSports and extracurriculars. Fla. Stat. 1002.41(4) lets home education students take part in interscholastic extracurricular activities under Fla. Stat. 1006.15, the Craig Dickinson Act. Your child must meet the same eligibility requirements as enrolled students.
High school and college. Home education students may take part in dual enrollment under Fla. Stat. 1007.271 and the Bright Futures Scholarship Program, and are eligible for admission to Florida College System institutions and state universities (Fla. Stat. 1002.41(5)-(8)). Florida does not issue a state diploma to home education students; you, the parent, award it.
Annual evaluation options. Under Fla. Stat. 1002.41(1)(f), you pick one: a review of the portfolio and a discussion with your child by a teacher holding a valid regular Florida certificate, any nationally normed achievement test given by a certified teacher, a state student assessment given by a certified teacher, an evaluation by an individual licensed under Fla. Stat. 490.003(7) or (8), or another valid tool you and the superintendent agree on.
IEP and special needs. A school district may provide exceptional student education related services to a home education student with a disability who enrolls in a public school solely to receive those services (Fla. Stat. 1002.41(10)). The FES-UA scholarship can also help fund private therapy and specialized services.
Portfolio tips. Your portfolio must include a log of educational activities, made as you go, that names any reading materials by title, plus samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials. Preserve it for 2 years. The district superintendent may ask to inspect it with 15 days' written notice (Fla. Stat. 1002.41(1)(e)).
Virtual school. Florida Virtual School offers online courses that some homeschool families use to supplement their program, for subjects like foreign language or advanced math.
Education savings / school choice programs
Personalized Education Program (PEP)
Set each year by the Florida Legislature, based on the child's grade level and county of residence; paid in four equal quarterly amounts (Step Up For Students, PEP funding page).: A Florida resident (or child of an active-duty service member ordered to Florida) who is eligible to enroll in kindergarten through grade 12 in a Florida public school and will not be enrolled full time in a public or private school (Fla. Stat. 1002.395(3)(b), (7)(b)). Not available while the child is in a home education program under Fla. Stat. 1002.41: PEP is a separate attendance option, so a homeschooling family registers the child in PEP instead (Fla. Stat. 1002.395(4)(e); 1002.01(2)).
Family Empowerment Scholarship - Unique Abilities (FES-UA)
Set by formula, not a fixed dollar figure. With a Level I to III matrix of services or a diagnosis: the state's total per-student funding for the basic exceptional student education program for the child's grade and school district, plus shares of certain categorical funds. With a Level IV or V matrix: the per-student funding for that exceptional student education level, plus shares of certain categorical funds (Fla. Stat. 1002.394(12)(b)2.-3.).: A Florida resident (or child of an active-duty service member ordered to Florida) who is 3 or 4 years old or eligible for kindergarten through grade 12 in a Florida public school, has a disability as defined in the law, and has an IEP or a disability diagnosis from a licensed physician or psychologist (Fla. Stat. 1002.394(3)(b)). A homeschooled child can use it while staying in a Florida home education program: funds may pay home education program costs (Fla. Stat. 1002.394(4)(b)4.).
Explore Florida homeschool guides
How to Start
Step-by-step guide to getting started in Florida
Compliance Checklist
Every requirement in one checklist
Documents & Templates
Forms, letters, and what to file
Deadlines & Calendar
Filing dates and assessment deadlines
Assessment Requirements
Testing rules and what scores mean
High School
Transcripts, diplomas, and college prep
Special Needs
IEP services, therapy access, and rights
Compare with Another State
Side-by-side law comparison for relocating families
Florida homeschool news
View all updates for Florida →Your independent resources
Official sources and independent organizations are listed separately below. Check the source and effective date before relying on an unresolved requirement.
State Law
Fla. Stat. 1002.41State DOE
Florida Department of EducationLast reviewed October 2026 · How we verify