Florida homeschool requirements: laws and how to start

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Published August 19, 2026

Last updated September 8, 2026

Florida homeschool requirements for 2026-27 still sit on three FLDOE items if you use the home education program: a Notice of Intent with your district, an annual evaluation, and a Notice of Termination when you stop. [1] The statute behind that list is s. 1002.41. [2]

Florida is homeschool-friendly compared with high-oversight states, but the three items are not optional on the home education path. Getting them right in the first 30 days saves a scramble later.

At a glance: 2026-27 home education program

Notice of Intent: written, signed, child's full legal name, address, birthdate. File with the district superintendent within 30 days of starting. The district must register it and may not demand extra verification unless you opt into a district service.
Portfolio: contemporaneous log of educational activities (with titles of reading materials) plus samples of writing and work. Keep 2 years. Produce it only if the superintendent gives 15 days' written notice. Inspection is not automatic.
Annual evaluation: parent picks one of five options (certified-teacher portfolio review, nationally normed test given by a certified teacher, statewide assessment under district conditions, licensed psychologist or school psychologist, or another tool the superintendent agrees to). File a copy each year. First due date is typically the anniversary of your notice.
Hours: home education is excluded from school-day requirements. Progress still has to show on the evaluation.
Teacher certificate: not required for the parent.

Watch for: PEP vs traditional home education

Personalized Education Program (PEP) scholarship families are often described as homeschooling through Step Up or AAA, not as classic s. 1002.41 home education. Some district pages tell PEP families they do not fall under the same home-education coordinator process. Confirm your lane before you skip a Notice of Intent. If you are on the statutory home education program, file it. If you are PEP-only, follow the scholarship organization's rules and still keep receipts and learning records.

Umbrella private schools and certified private tutors are separate legal paths. They do not use the same three-item FLDOE list.

The three Florida paths

Home education program. You direct the work, file notice, keep the portfolio, evaluate yearly. This is the most common DIY path.

Private umbrella school. You teach at home under that school's attendance and records rules. The school handles much of the legal reporting.

Certified private tutor. A Florida-certified teacher provides the instruction. Different paperwork. Not a DIY portfolio path.

Notice, portfolio, and evaluation in plain language

The notice is a short signed letter, not a curriculum catalog. File it with the superintendent in the county where you live. Keep a copy.

The portfolio is a dated activity log plus samples. Write the log the day the work happens. Florida's statute uses the word contemporaneously on purpose.

The evaluation is yearly proof of progress commensurate with ability. You pick the method. If progress is not shown, the superintendent notifies you in writing and you have one year of remedial instruction before a re-evaluation.

If you are leaving public school mid-year, file first, then keep samples from day one. Our switching guide covers that first stretch.

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How to start (home education program)

File the Notice of Intent with your district within 30 days of starting. Keep a copy.
Start the portfolio the same week: dated activity log plus samples.
Pick an annual evaluation method early so you are not scrambling on the anniversary.
File the evaluation each year. File a notice of termination within 30 days if you stop, move counties, or graduate, with the evaluation the statute requires.

For the first filing itself, use our letter of intent guide. For how many hours Florida does not mandate, see hours by grade. High school families should also read Florida graduation requirements.

Scholarship funding: PEP and FES

Florida home education students may be eligible for Family Empowerment Scholarship pathways, including Personalized Education Program (PEP) funds administered through Step Up for Students or AAA. Confirm current rules with the scholarship funding organization. Outschool-specific payment steps live in how to use ESA funds to homeschool in Florida and the Florida Step Up for Students guide.

Watch for: PEP is not a substitute for knowing which legal enrollment you are in. If you are on the home education program, keep the FLDOE three-item list even while you spend scholarship funds.