The Short Answer
Florida Statute 1002.41 governs home education. You file a written Notice of Intent with your district superintendent within 30 days of starting. You maintain a portfolio throughout the year. You complete one annual evaluation using one of five approved methods and file a copy with your district. No required subjects, no required hours or days.
Verified June 2026 against Florida Statute 1002.41 and the Florida Department of Education. Confirm current FES-EO scholarship amounts at stepupforstudents.org before budgeting.
Florida Homeschooling at a Glance
| Notice of Intent | Written notice to district superintendent within 30 days of starting |
|---|---|
| Required subjects | None specified in Florida law |
| Daily or yearly hours | Not set by law |
| Portfolio | Required: activity log plus work samples. Keep for 2 years. |
| Annual evaluation | Required each year on your NOI anniversary. Five options. File copy with district. |
| High school diploma | Parent-issued; no state form needed |
| State funding | FES-EO: ~$8,000 per child per year (verify at stepupforstudents.org) |
| Withdrawing from public school | Written notice to school; then file NOI with superintendent within 30 days |
What Florida Requires
Florida sits in the middle of the homeschool regulatory spectrum. The state leaves curriculum, schedule, and teaching method entirely to you. In exchange it asks for three things over the course of a school year: a written notice when you start, a portfolio you build as instruction happens, and one annual check-in to document your child's progress. Florida has no list of required subjects and no minimum instruction hours. You design the curriculum and the schedule. The only academic standard in the law is that your child must show educational progress at a level consistent with their own ability, documented through the annual evaluation.
Step 1: Filing the Notice of Intent
Within 30 days of establishing a home education program, send a written Notice of Intent to the district school superintendent of the county where you live. The notice must be signed and must include the full legal name, address, and date of birth of each child you plan to enroll. That is the complete content requirement under Florida Statute 1002.41. The district is required to accept the notice and register your program. It cannot ask you for curriculum plans, teaching credentials, or any additional information at the time of filing.
The NOI date matters more than most families realize. The annual evaluation is due each year on the anniversary of that filing date, not on a school calendar date. Write the date down the day you file and set a calendar reminder two months out so the evaluation does not sneak up on you. If you move to a different county, file a new NOI with the new district superintendent within 30 days of establishing the program in your new location.
Before you start building your program, take the free reading assessment to get a concrete picture of where your child is. Knowing your child's actual skill level, rather than guessing based on the grade they were last in, lets you choose starting materials that fit from day one.
Step 2: Maintaining a Portfolio
Florida requires two specific things in the portfolio: a log of educational activities recorded at the time instruction happens, listing the title of any reading materials used; and samples of your child's writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials. The law uses the word "contemporaneous," which means you write the log as instruction happens, not at the end of the week or the end of the year. A retroactive log is not compliant under the statute.
Keep the portfolio for two years from the date of the annual evaluation. Make it available to the district superintendent within 15 days of a written request. The portfolio is not submitted proactively. Most families never receive a request. It exists so that if a question arises about your program, you have documentation to show.
Most families keep a plain three-ring binder or a digital folder. A weekly activity log, filled in at the end of each school day, satisfies the contemporaneous requirement in under five minutes. Add a dated work sample per subject as you go. The most common compliance mistake families make is trying to reconstruct the log in November when it should have been running since September. Record as you go.
Step 3: The Annual Evaluation
Once per year, on the NOI anniversary, complete one annual evaluation and file a copy with the district superintendent. The evaluation must document that your child is making progress at a level consistent with their own ability. Florida gives five options, and families can use a different one each year. Most families start with the portfolio review option and stay with it.
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Option 1: Florida-Certified Teacher Portfolio Review
A teacher with a valid Florida certificate reviews your portfolio and has a conversation with your child about their learning. This is the most widely used option because it is flexible and personal. The evaluator submits a written statement documenting progress. You can find evaluators through Florida homeschool co-ops and Facebook groups for local homeschool communities. Fees vary but are modest.
Option 2: Nationally Normed Achievement Test
Your child takes any nationally normed achievement test, such as the Iowa Assessments or the Stanford Achievement Test Series, administered by a certified teacher. Test results serve as the evaluation document. This option suits families who want an objective, standardized measure of their child's progress.
Option 3: State Assessment Test
Your child takes a Florida state student assessment test, administered by a certified teacher outside the school setting. This option is less commonly chosen because coordinating access to the state assessments requires more planning than the other options.
Option 4: Licensed Psychologist Evaluation
A psychologist holding a valid Florida license evaluates your child's educational progress. This option is used most often by families whose children have learning differences and who already have a relationship with a licensed psychologist.
Option 5: Mutually Agreed Method
You and the district superintendent agree on any other valid measurement tool. This requires direct coordination with the district before the evaluation date and is the least commonly used option among Florida home educators.
No Required Subjects or Hours
Florida Statute 1002.41 does not specify which subjects to teach, does not set a minimum number of hours per day, and does not set a minimum number of school days per year. You build the program and set the schedule. The annual evaluation standard is developmental, not grade-based: your child must show progress at a level consistent with their own ability. A child with a learning difference is measured against their own capacity and prior performance, not grade-level peers.
This is one of the features that makes Florida a strong state for families who need flexibility in schedule or approach. A family with a child recovering from school burnout can run a lighter year. A family with a child ahead of grade level can accelerate. The law asks you to show progress for your child, not conformity to a grade-level standard.
If you want to check where your child stands before building the program, the free reading assessment gives you a measurable starting point in about 15 minutes.
Pulling Your Child Out of a Florida Public School
Two steps, two different offices. First, notify the school in writing that you are withdrawing your child. The school updates its enrollment records. Second, within 30 days of establishing the home education program, file the NOI with the district superintendent. The withdrawal letter goes to the school building; the NOI goes to the superintendent's office. Keep copies of both documents with the date you sent them.
If your child had an IEP, those services end at withdrawal. Florida does allow home education students with disabilities to participate voluntarily in certain district services after withdrawal, but the mandatory school-based services end when you leave. Before you withdraw a child who has an active IEP, ask the district's special education coordinator what voluntary participation options exist and what the process looks like.
High School, Transcripts, and Diplomas in Florida
Parents issue their own high school diplomas in Florida. There is no state form and no state approval required. You set graduation standards, track credits through grades 9 to 12, and award the diploma when your child meets your requirements. Florida's public universities accept home education transcripts. Most ask for SAT or ACT scores from home school applicants; check each school's requirements individually before the senior year.
Florida law also allows home education students to participate in extracurricular activities at the local public school, including athletics, band, and clubs, subject to eligibility conditions. The specific process varies by district. Contact your district directly about extracurricular participation before your child wants to join a team or activity, as some districts require advance registration at the start of the school year.
Building a high school transcript that reads well to college admissions takes planning from grade 9. The Guide covers how to set graduation requirements, assign credit hours, and create a transcript that stands up to admissions scrutiny.
Family Empowerment Scholarship: What Florida Homeschoolers Can Get
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options opened to every Florida K-12 student regardless of income under HB 1 in 2023. There is no financial need test. Funds go into a ClassWallet account managed by Step Up For Students. The amount has been running around $8,000 per child per year, though the exact figure is set each legislative session and can change.
Approved expenses include curriculum materials, textbooks, tutoring, therapy services, and qualifying technology. To keep the scholarship, your home education program must stay in compliance with Florida Statute 1002.41: a current NOI on file, a maintained portfolio, and an annual evaluation completed on schedule. Falling behind on any of those three requirements puts the scholarship at risk.
Apply through Step Up For Students at stepupforstudents.org. Amounts and the list of approved vendors change each year. Confirm the current scholarship amount and approved expense categories directly through Step Up before planning your annual budget around the funds.
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A Note from Homeschool Teacher Guide: What This Really Means for You
Florida's requirements look heavier on paper than the actual workload. The notice is a letter you write once. The portfolio is a binder you add to for a few minutes at the end of each school day. The annual evaluation, once you find a good evaluator for the portfolio review option, is more of a conversation than a formal test. Families who find the system burdensome are almost always the ones who tried to shortcut the contemporaneous log.
The FES scholarship changes the financial picture for a lot of families. Around $8,000 per child per year covers a full curriculum package, supplemental materials, tutoring for the hard spots, and therapy if your child needs it. That cuts the out-of-pocket cost of home education considerably for most families who qualify.
Two practical things to hold onto. Mark the NOI anniversary date the day you file and set a reminder two months out. And write the portfolio log as you go, every day, not at the end of the year. Those two habits cover most of what families get tripped up on in Florida.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do we File a Notice of Intent in Florida?
Write a letter to the district school superintendent of the county where you live. Include the full legal names, addresses, and dates of birth of all children you plan to enroll. Sign the letter and send it within 30 days of starting your home education program. The district must accept it and register your program.
What Does a Florida Homeschool Portfolio Need to Include?
The law requires two things: a log of educational activities recorded at the time instruction happens, listing the titles of any reading materials used; and samples of the child's writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials. Keep the portfolio for two years and make it available to the district superintendent within 15 days of a written request.
What Are the Five Annual Evaluation Options?
Florida Statute 1002.41 gives five options: a Florida-certified teacher reviews your portfolio and discusses it with your child; the child takes a nationally normed achievement test administered by a certified teacher; the child takes a state assessment test administered by a certified teacher; a licensed Florida psychologist evaluates the child; or you and your superintendent agree on any other valid method.
Does Florida Require Specific Subjects?
No. Florida Statute 1002.41 does not list required subjects. You design the curriculum. The only academic standard in the law is that the child must show educational progress at a level consistent with their own ability, documented through the annual evaluation.
What Is the Family Empowerment Scholarship and How Do we Apply?
The FES-EO is a Florida state program giving eligible families funds for education expenses. As of 2025-26 the amount has been running around $8,000 per child per year, with no income requirement. Apply through Step Up For Students at stepupforstudents.org. Verify current amounts and approved expenses before planning your budget around it.
Sources
This guide was verified in June 2026 against the following primary sources. Confirm current procedures with your district before filing.