The Family Empowerment Scholarship Program was established in 2019 by the Florida Legislature (Section 1002.394, Florida Statutes) to provide children of families in this state which have limited financial resources with educational options to achieve success in their education. 

On March 27, 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law House Bill 1, which expands available school choice options for all students in Florida. As of the 2023-2024, financial eligibility restrictions and the current enrollment cap for FES EO have been eliminated.

A parent of a student may apply for and receive from the state a scholarship if the student is a Florida resident and is eligible to enroll in kindergarten through grade 12 in a Florida public school.

Priority is given first to students whose household income level does not exceed 185% of the federal poverty level or who are in foster care or out-of-home care, then to students whose household income levels exceed 185% of the federal poverty level, but does not exceed 400%.

Families of students participating in FES EO may choose to enroll their students in a private school that best meets their academic needs and is approved to participate in the scholarship program.

Alternatively, the family of a student enrolled in a Florida public school that is different from the school to which they were assigned may request to receive a scholarship up to $750 to help cover the cost of transportation if the school district does not provide the student with transportation to the school. 

As of the 2023-2024 school year, there is no longer a cap on the number of FES EO participants in the scholarship law. 

The maximum scholarship amount for each student based upon their grade level and county of residence. In the 2023-24 school year, the average award amount was $7,950.

Parents must apply to an eligible non-profit scholarship funding organization that is administering the program. For a list of non-profit scholarship funding organizations, please visit the Department's SFO website.

Once families apply to one of the two approved scholarship funding organizations (SFOs), the organizations are responsible for collecting and evaluating documentation in support of the applications. SFOs submit eligible students to the department for funding on a quarterly basis, and then distribute tuition payments to private schools on behalf of the families.

The parent of a student partticipating in FES EO is responsible for:

• Enrolling the student full-time in a private school that is approved to participate in the FES EO program.
• Meeting with the school's principal or designee prior to enrollment to review the school's academic programs and policies, specialized services, code of conduct, and attendance policies.
• Requiring the student to take the norm-referenced assessment administered by the private school. 
• Approving each payment made to the private school prior to deposit of funds.
• Fulfilling financial obligations for all eligible expenses in excess of the amount of the scholarship as applicable.
• Applying or renewing participation in the program and providing any necessary documentation in support of the application or renewal, meeting deadlines and other requirements established by the SFO.

In the 2023-24 school year, students participating in FES EO will meet attendance requirements by enrolling in a private school that is approved by the Department to participate in the scholarship program. 

Traditional home education options are only available to eligible FES UA students. The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, however, include a "homeschool" option for up to 20,000 students in the 2023-2024 school year referred to as a personalized education program (PEP). Families should indicate their interest in the new option when completing their student's application with the SFO. 

With the passage of HB1, all Florida students eligible to enroll in a K-12 public school may receive an FES EO scholarship. Parents of students who participated in FES EO as the sibling of an FES UA student in the 2022-2023 school year should complete an FES application for the 2023-2024 school year to continue participation.

No K-12 scholarship student may take FLorida Virtual School courses except as a private-paying student.

SFOs provide funds to the private school of the parent's choice on a quarterly basis. Parents must approve the payment before scholarship funds are deposited.

No. In order to use scholarship funds, FES EO students must be attending a private school approved by the department to participate in the program.

Private schools are not required to participate in K-12 scholarship programs. Private schools may request to participate in FES EO and became approved by the Department once they have met the requirements established in scholarship law. 

The Family Empowerment Scholarship Program for Students with Unique Abilities was established in 2021 by the Florida legislature (Section 1002.394, Florida Statutes), offering families of students with disabilities, as young as 3 years of age, a choice of either enrolling their student in another public school, or taking the opportunity to receive access to funds in an education savings account (ESA) for their student.

For the 2023-2024 school year, an eligible student must be:

• Three or four years old, or eligible to enroll in kindergarten through 12th grade in a public school in Florida; and
• The subject of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or who has a diagnosis of a disability from a licensed physician or psychologist.

“Disability” means, for a student age 3 through grade 12: autism spectrum disorder; cerebral palsy; Down syndrome; intellectual disability; Prader-Willi syndrome; Phelan-McDermid syndrome; Spina bifida; Williams syndrome; muscular dystrophy; a rare disease; anaphylaxis; hearing impaired; visually impaired; dual sensory impaired; traumatic brain injury; speech, language, orthopedic or other health impairment; emotional-behavioral or specific learning disability; hospital homebound for more than six months; or for a student in kindergarten, being a high-risk child. 

For the purposes of FES UA scholarship eligibility, a high-risk child is from 3 to 5 years of age who has one or more of the following characteristics:

• A developmental delay in cognition, language, or physical development.
• A child surviving a catastrophic infectious or traumatic illness known to be associated with developmental delay.
• A child with a parent or guardian with developmental disabilities who requires assistance in meeting the child’s developmental needs.
• A child who has a physical or genetic anomaly associated with developmental disability. 

A 504 plan alone is not sufficient to establish eligibility. A student with a 504 plan could be eligible for FES UA if the parent submits a diagnosis of a disability from a licensed physician or psychologist when applying for the program. 

Parents must apply to an eligible non-profit scholarship funding organization that is administering the program. For a list of non-profit scholarship funding organizations please visit the Department's SFO website. 

Once families apply to one of the two approved scholarship funding organizations (SFOs), those organizations are responsible for collecting and evaluating documentation in support of the applications. SFOs submit eligible students to the Department for funding. 

With an ESA, parents receive a deposit of public funds into government-authorized savings accounts with restricted, but multiple, uses. An ESA can be used to fund not only items such as private school tuition and fees, but also online learning programs, private tutoring, community college costs, higher education expenses, and other approved customized learning services and materials. 

Scholarship program law establishes categories for eligible uses of scholarship funds. Requests for purchases and reimbursements from ESA funds are reviewed by SFOs to verify eligibility under program rules. 

• Instructional materials and curriculum;
• Digital devices, digital periphery devices, and assistive technology devices; and 
• Specialized services, including: 
  • Applied behavior analysis services 
  • Services provided by speech-language pathologists 
  • Occupational therapy
  • Services provided by physical therapists 
  • Services provided by listening and spoken language specialists 
  • Services provided at a center certified for Therapeutic Horsemanship 
  • Services provided by a certified Art or Music therapist 
  • Transition services provided by job coaches 
  • Contracted services provided by a public school or school district, including classes 

• Contributions to the Stanley G. Tate Florida Prepaid College Program or the Florida College Savings Program
• Tuition or fees for the following:
  • A home education program
  • An eligible private school 
  • An eligible postsecondary educational institution 
  • A private tutoring program authorized under s. 1002.43, or part-time tutoring by a certified educator 
  • A virtual program offered by a Department-approved private online provider, an approved online course, or the Florida Virtual School as a private paying student 
  • Specialized after-school and summer education programs 
  • Programs offered by VPK and School Readiness providers 
  • Norm-referenced achievement tests, Advanced Placement Examinations, industry certification examinations, assessments related to postsecondary education, or other assessments 
  • Annual evaluation of educational progress by a certified teacher 

The amount of a student’s scholarship is dependent on a number of different factors, including grade level, county of residence, and a student's individual level of need. The average scholarship in the 2023/24 school year was approximately $10,000. 

Yes. Scholarship law prohibits additional funding for an FES UA student whose ESA balance is in excess of $50,000. 

Scholarship program law establishes a cap on participation in FES UA. For the 2023-2024 school year, the cap is approximately 40,000 students. The cap will annually increase by 3% of the state’s total exceptional student education full-time equivalent student enrollment. Those applicants able to participate outside the cap are: 

• Dependent children of members of the US Armed Forces 
• Dependent children of law enforcement officers
• Children in foster care 
• Adopted children 
• Children reported for funding during either the preceding October or February FEFP Survey
• Children receiving VPK specialized instructional services during the previous school year     

Yes.

Not automatically. Participation in FES UA requires meeting the program’s eligibility requirements. A family may apply for and receive the Family Empowerment Scholarship Educational Options for other K-12 siblings in their household. 

 Yes. Within 10 days after an IEP meeting is held, the public school district must notify the parent of the student’s eligibility for FES UA, and offer the student’s parent two public school options: 

• The parent may choose another public school in the school district, with transportation provided by the district to the public school selected by the parent. 
• The parent may choose to enroll the student in and transport the student to a public school in an adjacent school district that has available space and has a program with the services agreed to in the student’s IEP already in place. 

A student participating in FES UA may continue in the program until the student returns to a public school, graduates from high school, or reaches the age of 22. At age 6, a student qualifying as a high-risk child must establish eligibility under another category to continue in the program. 

The parent of a student participating in FES UA is responsible for determining the appropriate placement and services that best meet the needs of the student and for procuring the services necessary to educate the student. Additionally, parents of FES UA students are responsible for: 

• Enrolling the student full-time in a private school or registering a home education program with the school district and remaining in good standing with the program or school in order to meet Florida’s regular school attendance requirements. 
• If the student is to attend a private school, discussing with the school their academic programs and policies, specialized services, code of conduct, and attendance policies before enrollment to determine which programs and services may meet the student’s needs. 
• Requiring the student to take the assessment administered by the private school. (A student with disabilities for whom the physician or psychologist who issued the diagnosis or the IEP team determines that such an assessment is not appropriate is exempt from this requirement.) 
• Using program funds only for authorized purposes that serve the student’s educational needs. 

The parent of a scholarship student who receives a payment, refund, or rebate of FES UA funds in any manner is in violation of scholarship program law and is subject to denial or revocation of program eligibility. 

• Fulfilling financial obligations for all eligible expenses in excess of the amount of the scholarship as applicable. 
• Renewing participation in the program each year and providing any necessary documentation in support of the application or renewal. 
• Signing an agreement with the SFO annually, to include a sworn compliance statement, and meeting deadlines and other requirements established by the SFO. 

No. Attendance at a public school while receiving ESA funds forfeits the student’s eligibility for the program. 

Yes. FES UA students can meet school attendance requirements by either attending full time at a private school or through a home education program registered with their school district. Home education program students must meet the requirements established in Section 1002.41, Florida Statutes. See the Departments Home Education website for more information. 

No. In order to use ESA funds for private school attendance, the school must be approved by the Department to participate in FES UA.