Is Homeschooling Legal in Florida?

Florida Department of Education says home education is a parent-directed option that satisfies regular school attendance under Florida law. To start a standard home education program, FDOE says families should work with their local district home education office.

The practical first step is a letter of intent to the district office in the county where you live. FDOE's contact page is explicit that letters of intent and evaluations go to the local district office, not to the state office.

Under Florida's home education law, the standard path includes a few core responsibilities:

file a notice of intent with the district maintain a portfolio of records and materials complete an annual educational evaluation

Florida statute gives several ways to satisfy the annual evaluation requirement. The options include:

evaluation by a Florida-certified teacher who reviews the portfolio and discusses progress with the student a nationally normed achievement test administered by a certified teacher a state student assessment administered under district-approved conditions evaluation by a licensed psychologist another valid measurement tool agreed to by the district superintendent and parent

That is the part many families in low-regulation states are not expecting. Florida does not require you to follow the public-school curriculum, but it does require yearly evaluation on the standard home education track.

Florida's legal structure expects a portfolio, which usually means keeping:

a log of educational activities titles of reading materials samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative work

You do not need to make it beautiful. You do need it to exist.

The safest approach is to keep a simple running binder or digital folder all year instead of trying to reconstruct everything right before the annual evaluation.

No.

Florida home education is parent-directed. You choose the curriculum, schedule, and instructional style. The district's role is tied to the legal framework for notice and evaluation, not to approving every daily lesson.

If your child is currently in public school, withdraw clearly and in writing. Then file your home education notice with the district office.

The point is to avoid an attendance mess. Keep copies of:

the withdrawal communication the home education notice any district acknowledgment

Florida's Personalized Education Program (PEP) is different from the standard district home education program.

FDOE's PEP FAQ says:

PEP students are not registered with their school district as a home education program PEP students are registered with a scholarship funding organization (SFO) PEP students must submit a student learning plan to the SFO PEP students must take a norm-referenced test annually and submit results to the SFO

That means PEP is not the same thing as "home education, but with money."

It is a separate scholarship structure with its own compliance rules.

For a participating student, yes in the practical sense that FDOE says parents should terminate the home education program with the district if the student is receiving PEP funds.

So if you are asking, "Can I stay on district home education and also do PEP exactly the same way?" the answer is: treat them as separate tracks and verify current scholarship rules before switching.

It depends what you mean by simple.

Standard home education program: district notice portfolio annual evaluation under the home education statute

PEP: scholarship application through an SFO student learning plan annual norm-referenced testing scholarship compliance rules

Some families prefer district home education because the legal structure is stable and familiar. Others want the scholarship structure and are willing to handle the extra program-specific rules.

Florida's scholarship landscape changes faster than the basic legality of homeschooling, so treat program details as time-sensitive.

If you are looking at scholarship funding, go directly to:

FDOE's scholarship pages the PEP FAQ the scholarship funding organization handling the application

Do not rely on an old forum summary for award amounts, allowable expenses, or whether a specific home education arrangement qualifies this year.

If you stay on the standard home education path, the most common evaluation route is the Florida-certified teacher review. That is often the easiest fit for families who are not trying to route through district testing.

But the law gives multiple options, and the right one depends on the student, the district, and the family's setup.

The important part is not guessing. Know which evaluation path you are using before spring arrives.