The Short Answer
To withdraw your child from public school in Florida, notify the school that you are withdrawing to a home education program, and file a Notice of Intent to establish home education with your county district superintendent within 30 days of beginning. Keep a copy of both. Florida does not require district approval. After that you maintain a portfolio and complete one annual evaluation, which we cover in the main guide. If you are using the PEP scholarship instead, that is a separate enrollment path. Compulsory attendance applies from age 6 to 16. Confirm county procedures at fldoe.org.
Verified June 2026 against Florida Statute Section 1002.41 and the Florida Department of Education. Confirm current county procedures at fldoe.org before relying on this for legal decisions.
Florida Withdrawal at a Glance
| Step 1: Notify the school | Tell the public school you are withdrawing to a home education program |
|---|---|
| Step 2: File the Notice of Intent | File with your county superintendent within 30 days of beginning |
| Step 3: Keep records | Save the Notice of Intent and your withdrawal notice |
| Approval needed | None |
| After withdrawal | Maintain a portfolio; complete one annual evaluation |
| Compulsory age | 6 to 16 |
How Withdrawal Works in Florida
Florida ties withdrawal to establishing a home education program. You notify the public school you are leaving, and you file a Notice of Intent with your county district superintendent to open your home education program. The Notice of Intent is due within 30 days of the day your home education begins. There is no district approval step; the notice is a filing, not a request.
The legal basis is Florida Statute 1002.41. It defines a home education program as sequentially progressive instruction of a student directed by a parent or guardian. Once you file the Notice of Intent, your home education program is established and your child is enrolled in it rather than in the public school. The school's attendance tracking for your child ends. The county has no authority to deny the filing or require additional documentation beyond what the statute specifies.
Two different offices receive two different documents. The withdrawal notice goes to the school building your child attended. The Notice of Intent goes to the district superintendent's office, which is a separate county-level office. Getting both to the right recipients is what makes the transition clean.
Step 1: Notify the Public School
Tell your child's public school, in writing, that you are withdrawing the child to a home education program. A short, dated letter to the school office is enough. State your child's name, the effective date of withdrawal, and that you are establishing a home education program. This starts the enrollment change on the school's side and ensures the school stops counting your child as absent.
Keep a dated copy of this letter. If the school sends a stray attendance notice after the withdrawal, your dated letter is what resolves it. Delivering it by email gives you an automatic timestamp. Handing it in person and asking for a signature from the front office works too. Whichever method you use, make sure you can show that the school received it on a specific date.
Notifying the school and filing your county Notice of Intent work together, and doing both close in time is what keeps the transition clean. We cover the home education program in full in the Florida homeschooling guide. Before you begin teaching, the free reading assessment gives you a clear, specific picture of where your child stands academically so you can choose starting materials that fit.
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Step 2: File the Notice of Intent With Your County
File a Notice of Intent to establish a home education program with the superintendent of your county school district. Florida law gives you 30 days from the date you begin home education to file it. The notice must be signed and must include each child's full legal name, address, and date of birth. That is the full content requirement under Florida Statute 1002.41. The district cannot ask for anything beyond that at the time of filing.
Contact your county superintendent's office to find out the preferred delivery method. Many counties accept email, some accept mail, and some have an online form. Whatever method you use, keep a record that the notice was filed on a specific date. The county must accept it and register your program. Acceptance is not discretionary.
The NOI date becomes your program's anniversary date. Your annual evaluation is due each year on that date, not on a school calendar date. Write it down the day you file. Set a calendar reminder at the two-month mark so the evaluation does not catch you off guard. If you move to a different county, file a new Notice of Intent with the new district superintendent within 30 days of resuming instruction in your new location.
Step 3: Mind the Timing and Keep Records
The cleanest sequence is to notify the school and file your county Notice of Intent within the same week. Doing both close together means there is no gap in enrollment status. Your child leaves the public school and enters the home education program without any period of being unaccounted for on paper.
If you withdraw mid-year, the same 30-day window applies from the day you begin home education. Mid-year withdrawals work exactly the same way as start-of-year withdrawals under Florida law. Write the letter, file the notice, keep dated copies, and begin. The calendar date does not change any part of the process.
Keep both documents, your withdrawal notice to the school and your county Notice of Intent, in one folder. Together they document the clean transition from public to home education enrollment. Florida also requires you to maintain a contemporaneous portfolio once the program is running: an activity log written at the time instruction happens and work samples collected as you go. The Guide covers building a structured teaching plan that feeds the portfolio requirements from day one.
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The PEP Alternative and Special Education
If you are moving your child to Florida's Personalized Education Program scholarship rather than the standard home education program, that is a different enrollment path with its own application process, not the Notice of Intent route. The steps, the ongoing requirements, and the oversight differ between the two. Decide which path you are on before you withdraw, since starting down the wrong path and then switching costs time. Our Florida homeschooling guide covers both the standard home education program and the PEP scholarship side by side so you can see the difference before you choose.
If your child has an Individualized Education Program, the special education services provided through the public school end when you withdraw to home education. Florida districts may offer limited services to home education students after withdrawal, but the public school IEP entitlement does not carry over. Contact the district's special education office before withdrawing if services are in place. Getting clarity on what changes before the withdrawal is complete saves considerable difficulty later.
A Note from Homeschool Teacher Guide: What This Really Means for You
Florida withdrawal is two steps that belong together: tell the school you are leaving, and file your county Notice of Intent within 30 days to open your home education program. We would do both within the same week so there is no gap and no truancy confusion, and we would keep dated copies of each in one folder. The 30-day clock is the only deadline that bites, so put it on the calendar the day you begin.
One fork to decide up front: the standard home education program with its portfolio and annual evaluation, or the PEP scholarship, which is a separate enrollment. Pick your path, handle the two steps, and our Florida homeschooling guide covers everything that comes after.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Withdraw My Child From Public School in Florida?
Notify the public school in writing that you are withdrawing to a home education program, and file a Notice of Intent with your county district superintendent within 30 days of beginning home education. No district approval is required.
When Is the Notice of Intent Due?
Within 30 days of the date you begin home education. The same window applies whether you start at the beginning of the year or mid-year.
Do I Need the District's Approval to Withdraw?
No. Florida does not require approval to withdraw. The Notice of Intent is a filing that establishes your home education program, not a request.
What If I Am Using the PEP Scholarship?
PEP is a separate enrollment path with its own application, not the Notice of Intent route. Decide which path you are on before withdrawing, since the steps differ.
What Happens to My Child's IEP?
Public school special education services end when you withdraw to home education. Districts may offer limited services, but the IEP entitlement does not carry over. Contact the special education office before withdrawing.