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Florida homeschool law

Notice, days or hours, subjects, testing and records, in plain words, with the source for each.

This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page. Laws change, and Florida's own statute and education department are the final word. The links below go straight to them.

Checked on against the sources linked on this page.

What to file in Florida

File
A written, signed notice of intent, once. A notice of termination when you stop. §
To
District school superintendent of your county. §
By
Within 30 days of starting; the termination notice within 30 days of ending. §
Keep
A portfolio: a log made at the time naming reading materials, plus work samples. Keep it 2 years. §
Test
An annual educational evaluation, filed with the superintendent: a teacher's portfolio review, a test, or another listed way. §
Starting this year
  • Within 30 days of starting: Send the district school superintendent of your county a written, signed notice of intent.
  • Each year: Arrange one annual educational evaluation by a method you choose, and file a copy with the district school superintendent's office.
Already homeschooling
  • Each year: Arrange one annual educational evaluation by a method you choose, and file a copy with the district school superintendent's office.

Open your attendance recordWrite the letterStart the Tap Clock, if you want to

What Florida's law asks you to keep, as tools: Portfolio · Reading log · Evaluation packet. The same rows for every state: what to file, by state.

Checked . § = source: Florida Statutes 1002.41, Home education programs (legislature). Information, not legal advice.

Quick answers

Notice
One-time noticeSend the district school superintendent of your county a written, signed notice of intent to start a home education program. List each child's full legal name, address and birthdate. File it within 30 days of starting. The law has no yearly renewal. When the program ends, file a written notice of termination within 30 days. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Florida Statutes 1002.41, Home education programs (legislature)
Days or hours
None setThe law sets no number of days or hours for a home education program. It says a home education program is excluded from meeting the requirements of a school day. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Florida Statutes 1002.41, Home education programs (legislature)
Subjects
The home education statute names no required subjects. The parent decides what is taught, and the law says the state and school districts may not oversee or control the curricula or academic programs of home education programs. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Florida Statutes 1003.21, School attendance (legislature)
Testing or evaluation
A test or an evaluationEach year the parent arranges one annual educational evaluation and files a copy with the district superintendent's office. The parent picks the method: a Florida-certified teacher reviewing the portfolio and talking with the student; any nationally normed achievement test given by a certified teacher; the state test used by the district, given by a certified teacher; an evaluation by a licensed psychologist; or another valid tool agreed with the superintendent. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Florida Statutes 1002.41, Home education programs (legislature)
Records
Keep a portfolio: a log of educational activities made at the time of instruction that names any reading materials used, plus samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks or creative materials. The parent decides what goes in it and keeps it for 2 years. The superintendent may ask to inspect it with 15 days' written notice; the law does not require the superintendent to inspect. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Florida Statutes 1002.41, Home education programs (legislature)
Who must attend school
Children who are 6, or will be 6 by February 1 of the school year, and have not yet reached 16 must attend school regularly (s. 1003.21). A home education program is one way to meet that requirement (s. 1002.01). Source: Florida Statutes 1003.21, School attendance (legislature)
Education savings accounts and vouchers
A program exists, and taking the money changes your homeschool statusFlorida's Tax Credit Scholarship law has a Personalized Education Program (PEP) for parent-directed students. Taking it is not the same as homeschooling under the home-education statute: a student in a home education program is not eligible, and a PEP student registers with an approved scholarship-funding organization instead. The parent signs an agreement, files a student learning plan each year, and has the student take a nationally norm-referenced test or the state assessment. Eligible students are Florida residents who could enroll in K-12 public school; priority goes first to households at or under 185 percent of the federal poverty level, then to those at or under 400 percent. Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program: Personalized Education Program. What taking the money changes, in full. Source: Florida Statutes 1002.395, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program (legislature), Florida Statutes 1002.01, Definitions (legislature), Step Up For Students: 2026–27 scholarship amounts by district (PDF), Step Up For Students (Florida scholarship-funding organization): Personalized Education Program, Step Up For Students: PEP family handbook, Step Up For Students: become a service provider, Step Up For Students: vendors

What to do first

  1. Read Florida's own pages, linked under each row below, so you know what applies to your situation.
  2. Notice: Within 30 days of starting the home education program To: District school superintendent of the county where you live.
  3. Plan the year around the days or hours and the subjects below.
  4. Start your records on day one: a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a work sample or two for each subject.
  5. Put the testing or evaluation date on your calendar.

Other legal routes in Florida

  • Personalized education program (scholarship). Parent-directed instruction while registered with an approved nonprofit scholarship-funding organization under s. 1002.395, instead of registering a home education program with the district. The statute says a personalized education student gets the same flexibility and opportunities as home education students under s. 1002.41(3)-(12).

Records to keep

Keep a portfolio: a log of educational activities made at the time of instruction that names any reading materials used, plus samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks or creative materials. The parent decides what goes in it and keeps it for 2 years. The superintendent may ask to inspect it with 15 days' written notice; the law does not require the superintendent to inspect. Whatever the law asks, many families also keep a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a few work samples for each subject; they cost nothing and help if you move or return to school.

Good to know

  • Who may teach: the parent is not required to hold a valid regular Florida teaching certificate.
  • If a student does not show progress commensurate with her or his ability, the superintendent notifies the parent in writing. The parent then has 1 year from receiving that notice to provide remedial instruction, and the student is re-evaluated at the end of that year. Continuing in home education depends on showing that progress.
  • Home education students may take part in interscholastic extracurricular activities under s. 1006.15, in dual enrollment, and in the Bright Futures Scholarship Program, and they are eligible for admission to Florida College System institutions and state universities.
  • A school district may not require more documentation from home education parents than the statute lists unless it is needed for the student to take part in a district program or service.
  • Florida also has a Personalized Education Program (see the scholarship section) that is a different legal status from a home education program.

Where this comes from

Checked on October 27, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page, and confirm with your school district or the department before you rely on a date. Something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.