How to Homeschool in Florida

Home education is defined as "the sequentially progressive instruction of a student directed by his or her parent.

Option 1: Homeschool using the Home Education Program Statute

Notice of Intent to Homeschool

Send a written Letter of Intent to the school district superintendent. Districts should verify that the Letter of Intent was received. Parents should also retain a copy of the Letter of Intent and documentation that the Letter of Intent was received by the district. Parents may not register their students for virtual courses until the Letter of Intent has been submitted and acknowledged by the school district.

You may use the free Notice of Intent to Establish a Home Education Program form (PDF) provided by iamhomeschooling.com to notify your local school district.

The district school superintendent shall accept the notice and immediately register the home education program upon receipt of the notice.

The district may not require any additional information or verification from the parent unless the student chooses to participate in a school district program or service.

The district school superintendent may not assign a grade level to the home education student or include a social security number or any other personal information of the student in any school district or state database unless the student chooses to participate in a school district program or service.

Within 30 days of establishing a home education program, the parent must notify the district school superintendent in the county where the parent resides of his or her intent to establish a home education program. The notice must be in writing, signed by the parent, and must include the names, addresses, and birth dates of the children being homeschooled. The parent is not required to hold a valid regular Florida certificate to teach. Section 1002.41, F.S.

Curriculum

Home Education parents may choose whichever curriculum or materials for their child’s home education program. All instructional materials and supplies must be provided by the parent. The state and local school district do not have the authority to oversee or control the curriculum or academic programs of private schools or home instruction programs. Section 1002.42, F.S.

Attendance

There are no specific hourly attendance requirements or curriculum requirements for students in a home education program. The requirements of the school day do not apply to home education programs. Section 1002.41, F.S.

Teacher Requirement

Any parent who complies with the reporting, record keeping, and student evaluation requirements specified in statutory law may conduct a home education program. The parent is not required to be a certified teacher.

Maintain a Portfolio

Maintain a portfolio of records and materials consisting of a log of educational activities made contemporaneously with the instruction, and that designates by title any reading materials used, samples of any writings, worksheets, and creative materials used or developed by the student.

Make the portfolio available for inspection by the superintendent upon a 15-day notice. (The law does not require the superintendent to inspect portfolios.)
Preserve each student’s portfolio for two years.

Annual Evaluation

Provide a copy of the annual evaluation of the student’s educational progress to the school district superintendent. Parents should retain a copy of the evaluation and documentation that the evaluation was received by the district.

The evaluation must be completed in one of the following ways:
(1) a Florida certified teacher' may evaluate the child's progress based on a review of the portfolio and discussion with the student;
(2) the student may participate in a nationally normed student achievement test administered by a certified teacher;
(3) the student may participate in a state student assessment test at a location and under testing conditions approved by the school district;
(4) the student may be evaluated by a psychologist holding a valid, active license pursuant to s. 490.003(7) or (8), F.S.; or
(5) the student may be evaluated with any other valid measurement tool as mutually agreed upon by the parent and the superintendent. Section 1002.41, F.S.

If a student does not possess an official transcript or is a home education student, credits shall be validated through performance during the first grading period. Rule 6A-1.09941, F.A.C.

School districts are required to provide state assessment tests to home education students, if the parent chooses this form of evaluation per Section 1002.41, F.S.

Home education students may receive testing and evaluation services at diagnostic and resource centers, in accordance with the provisions of 1006.03 and Section 1002.41, F.S.

Letter of Termination

Submit a Letter of Termination and annual evaluation upon completion of the home education program to the district. You may use the free Notice of Termination of Home Education Program form (PDF) provided by iamhomeschooling.com to notify your local school district.

Moving within Florida

Should there be a change of residence, but do not wish to terminate the home education program in Florida, the parent should notify the new district to which the child is moving to that they are transferring their home education program to the new district and provide the previous district with information on the change in district. The previous district shall simply close out the student’s files. A home education transfer between districts does not require the parent to terminate the home education program (as they are not terminating; simply moving) an

Interscholastic Activities

A home education student is eligible to participate in interscholastic activities at the public school that the student would be assigned to attend if the student attended public school or may develop an agreement to participate at a private school.

The student may participate if he or she:
(1) meets the requirements of the home education program pursuant to Section 1002.41, F.S.
(2) demonstrates education progress in a manner defined in Section 1006.15, F.S.
(3) meets the same standards of acceptance, behavior, and performance as required of the other students; and
(4) has successfully completed one grading period in home education if the student was unable to maintain academic eligibility as a public or private school student. s. 1006.15(3)(c), F.S.

Any organization or entity that regulates or governs interscholastic extracurricular activities of public schools must permit home education associations to join as member schools, and must not discriminate against any eligible home education student. Section 1006.15, F.S.

Virtual Schools

Home education students may take virtual classes and there is no limit to the number of courses they may enroll in. A home education student may take virtual classes through the district’s virtual school or Florida Virtual School FLEX once the Letter of Intent has been filed by the school district. FLVS is required to confirm Florida residency for all students in an FLVS course.

Dual Enrollment College

The dual enrollment program for a home education student, including, but not limited to, students with disabilities, consists of the enrollment of an eligible home education secondary student in a postsecondary course creditable toward an associate degree, a career certificate, or a baccalaureate degree.

To participate in the dual enrollment program, an eligible home education secondary student must:
1. Provide proof of enrollment in a home education program pursuant to s. 1002.41.
2. Be responsible for his or her own transportation unless provided for in the articulation agreement.
3. Sign a home education articulation agreement with each home education student seeking enrollment in a dual enrollment course and the student’s parent.

Instructional materials assigned for use within dual enrollment courses shall be made available to dual enrollment students from Florida public high schools free of charge.

This does not prohibit a Florida College System institution from providing instructional materials at no cost to a home education student or student from a private school.

Bright Futures Scholarship

Home education students may qualify for the Bright Futures Scholarship Program if they are registered with their districts as home education students for grades 11 and 12. The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program provides a Home Education Program Packet, which conveys eligibility criteria specific to home education students, including required college admission test scores, community service documentation, district registration confirmation, and dates for financial aid application deadlines. You may also call 1-888-827-2004 for the Home Education Program Packet. Rule 6A-20.028, F.A.C., Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program

Diplomas

There is no diploma issued by the public school system in Florida for the completion of a home education program.

A signed affidavit of completion (notarized letter) submitted by the student’s parent attesting that the student has completed a home education program, pursuant to the requirements of s.1002.41, F.S. is the legal document of completion. As stated in s.1007 263(2)(a), F.S. it is equivalent to a high school diploma and is regularly accepted by state colleges and universities as proof of high school completion.

This statement can be included on a student’s academic transcript or parent-issued diploma. While not required.

GED

Some students elect to culminate their home education program by taking the General Educational Development (GED) test. A student is issued a diploma from the Department of Education upon passage of the GED. The toll free number for information pertaining to the GED is 1-800-237-5113.

Drivers Permits

As part of the penalty for non-attendance, a public or private school principal is required to report the student who accumulates 15 unexcused absences in a 90-day period to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles under s.1003.27(2)(b) & (c).

The DHSMV will either not issue a driver license or suspend any previously issued driver license to that individual. For more information contact the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles at (850) 922-9000, or visit their website at https://www.flhsmv.gov/.

Option 2: Homeschool using a Private School (a.k.a. Umbrella school)

Attendance

Attendance at a private school satisfies the compulsory school attendance law if the child maintains regular attendance during the school term of either 180 actual school days or a minimum of 170 actual school days and the hourly equivalent of 180 actual school days. In kindergarten, this requires 540 net instructional hours; in grades one through three, 720 net instructional hours; and in grades four through 12, 900 net instructional hours. Rule 6A-1.09512, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).

Attendance Records

Parochial, denominational, and private schools must keep a register of student enrollment and daily attendance in a manner prescribed by the state and open for inspection by the local superintendent or designated school representative. s. 1003.23. F.S.

The register may be used as evidence in a court procedure for the enforcement of the Florida compulsory education statute. Section 1003.27, F.S.

Curriculum

The state and local school district do not have the authority to oversee or control the curriculum or academic programs of private schools or home instruction programs. Section 1002.42, F.S.

Immunization and Health Records

An Immunization Annual Report of Compliance must be completed for private schools that enroll kindergarten or seventh -grade students. Private schools may collect the necessary form (Department of Health Form 684) from Florida county health departments. Section 1002.42, F.S. and Section 1003.22, F.S.

Private schools must require each student, upon his or her initial entrance into school, to present a certification of school-entry health examination performed within one year before enrollment. Students are exempt if parents object in writing based on religious grounds. Section 1002.42, F.S. and Section 1003.22, F.S..

Private schools may permit a student up to 30 school days to present health exam certification. Students who are homeless, dependent, or in shelter care are given temporary exemptions and assistance in obtaining the health exam. s. 1003.2(5), F.S.

Prior to attending a private school, children must submit Department of Health Form 680 documenting immunizations to prevent communicable diseases. Immunizations, with age-appropriate doses, are required for poliomyelitis, diphtheria, rubeola (measles), rubella (German measles), pertussis, mumps, tetanus, and other communicable diseases as determined by the rules of the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.

Students are exempt if their parents object in writing based on a conflict with religious tenants or practices. Section 1002.42, F.S. and Section 1003.22, F.S.

Private schools must provide appropriate pupil screening at the proper age for scoliosis. Students are exempt if their parents object in writing based on a conflict with religious tenets or practices. Section 1002.42, F.S. and Section 1003.22, F.S.

Assessments

No statutory requirement exists for student assessment. The owners of private elementary and secondary schools in Florida are solely responsible for all aspects of their educational programs, including student assessment. Section 1002.42, F.S.

Dual Enrollment College

An eligible secondary student is a student who is enrolled in any of grades 6 through 12 in a Florida public school or in a Florida private school that is in compliance with s. 1002.42(2) and provides a secondary curriculum pursuant to s. 1003.4282.

A student enrolled as a dual enrollment student is exempt from the payment of registration, tuition, and laboratory fees.

Students who are eligible for dual enrollment pursuant to this section may enroll in dual enrollment courses conducted during school hours, after school hours, and during the summer term. However, if the student is projected to graduate from high school before the scheduled completion date of a postsecondary course, the student may not register for that course through dual enrollment.

Instructional materials assigned for use within dual enrollment courses shall be made available to dual enrollment students from Florida public high schools free of charge.

This does not prohibit a Florida College System institution from providing instructional materials at no cost to a home education student or student from a private school.

Applied academics for adult education instruction, developmental education, and other forms of precollegiate instruction, as well as physical education courses that focus on the physical execution of a skill rather than the intellectual attributes of the activity, are ineligible for inclusion in the dual enrollment program. Recreation and leisure studies courses shall be evaluated individually in the same manner as physical education courses for potential inclusion in the program.

Option 3: Homeschool using a Private Tutor

Teacher Requirement

Regular school attendance as defined in s. 1003.01(13) may be achieved by attendance in a private tutoring program if the person tutoring holds a valid Florida certificate to teach the subjects or grades in which instruction is given.

Attendance

The tutor must keeps all records and makes all reports required by the state and district school board and makes regular reports on the attendance of students in accordance with the provisions of s. 1003.23(2).

Students are required to be in actual attendance for the minimum length term of 180 actual teaching days or the equivalent on an hourly basis as specified by rules of the State Board of Education each school year. prescribed by s. Section 1011.60, F.S..

Maintain Records

Private tutors shall keep and prepare records in accordance with the provisions of Section 1003.23, F.S..

School Aged Children Compulsory Attendance Requirement:

Florida Law (Section 1003.21, F.S., Florida Statutes) states that all children who have attained the age of 6 years or who will have attained the age of 6 years by February 1 of any school year or who are older than 6 years of age but who have not attained the age of 16 years, except as otherwise provided, are required to attend school regularly during the entire school term..

A student who attains the age of 16 years during the school year is not subject to compulsory attendance beyond the date of which the student attains that age if he/she files a formal declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment with the school district.

School Attendance Law - Section 1003.21, F.S. 1003.21 School attendance.— (1)(a)1. All children who have attained the age of 6 years or who will have attained the age of 6 years by February 1 of any school year or who are older than 6 years of age but who have not attained the age of 16 years, except as otherwise provided, are required to attend school regularly during the entire school term.

Source: Florida Department of Education

Home education is defined as "the sequentially progressive instruction of a student directed by his or her parent in order to satisfy the attendance requirements of ss. 1002.41, 1003.01(13), and 1003.21(1)." s. 1002.01, F.S.

Initial and Renewal Applications

Within 30 days of establishing a home education program, the parent must notify the district school superintendent in the county where the parent resides of his or her intent to establish a home education program. The notice must be in writing, signed by the parent, and must include the names, addresses, and birth dates of the children being homeschooled. The parent is not required to hold a valid regular Florida certificate to teach. s. 1002.41(1), F.S.

Home education programs must maintain a portfolio of educational records. The Florida statute defines a portfolio as "a log of educational activities which is made contemporaneously with the instruction and which designates by title any reading materials used, and samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks or creative materials used or developed by the student." The portfolio of education records must be available for inspection by the superintendent upon a 15-day written notice. s. 1002.41(1)(b), F.S.

The student's portfolio must be preserved for a minimum of two years. s. 1002.41(1)(b), F.S.

Within 30 days of closing a home education program, the parent must submit a letter of termination to the district school superintendent. s. 1002.41(1)(a), F.S.

The family must notify the school district if the student wishes to terminate the home education program at 16 and the student must be notified according to s. 1003.21, F.S. that his/her earning power is likely to be reduced.

Curriculum and Instruction

The requirements of the school day do not apply to home education programs. s. 1002.41 (3), F.S.

Home education school students are eligible to participate in Florida's Bright Future Scholarship Program established to reward Florida high school graduates who merit recognition of high academic achievement. s. 1009.531,F.S.

Under the Florida National Merit Scholar Program, a home education student who receives recognition as a National Merit Scholar or a National Achievement Scholar and initially enrolls in the 2014-15 academic year or later in a baccalaureate degree program at an eligible Florida postsecondary educational institution is eligible to receive an incentive award.

This award is equal to the institutional cost of the public postsecondary educational institution or the highest cost of attendance at a Florida public university (if the student is attending an independent postsecondary educational institution [private]) minus the sum of the student's Florida Bright Futures Scholarship and National Merit Scholarship or National Achievement Scholarship. s. 1009.893, F.S.

Assessment and Diplomas

Home education programs must provide an annual evaluation of the student's educational progress to the district school superintendent. The evaluation must be completed in one of the following ways:
(1) a Florida certified teacher' may evaluate the child's progress based on a review of the portfolio and discussion with the student;
(2) the student may participate in a nationally normed student achievement test administered by a certified teacher;
(3) the student may participate in a state student assessment test at a location and under testing conditions approved by the school district;
(4) the student may be evaluated by a psychologist holding a valid, active license pursuant to s. 490.003(7) or (8), F.S.; or
(5) the student may be evaluated with any other valid measurement tool as mutually agreed upon by the parent and the superintendent. s. 1002.41(1)(c), F.S.

If a student does not possess an official transcript or is a home education student, credits shall be validated through performance during the first grading period. Rule 6A-1.09941, F.A.C.

School districts are required to provide state assessment tests to home education students, if the parent chooses this form of evaluation per s. 1002.41(1)(c)3, F.S.

Special Education

Home education students may receive testing and evaluation services at diagnostic and resource centers, in accordance with the provisions of ss. 1006.03 and 1002.41(9), F.S.

Public School Access

A home education student is eligible to participate in interscholastic activities at the public school that the student would be assigned to attend if the student attended public school or may develop an agreement to participate at a private school.

The student may participate if he or she:
(1) meets the requirements of the home education program pursuant to s. 1002.41, F.S.;
(2) demonstrates education progress in a manner defined in s. 1006.15(3)(c)2, F.S.;
(3) meets the same standards of acceptance, behavior, and performance as required of the other students; and
(4) has successfully completed one grading period in home education if the student was unable to maintain academic eligibility as a public or private school student. s. 1006.15(3)(c), F.S.

Any organization or entity that regulates or governs interscholastic extracurricular activities of public schools must permit home education associations to join as member schools, and must not discriminate against any eligible home education student. ss. 1006.15(5) and (6), F.S.

Contact Information

Florida Department of Education
Turlington Building
Suite 1514
325 West Gaines Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
Phone: 850-245-0505
Fax: 850-245-9667
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/

Source: United States Department of Education - Florida State Regulations