As a result of COVID-19, homeschooling is on the rise. For some, this is a short-term arrangement, and others have discovered that homeschooling is perfect for their family. In case you don’t know, homeschooling is simply the practice of educating your kids from home. Some families choose to collaborate through homeschooling cooperatives and extracurricular leagues to enrich the home school experience.

Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, including the District of Columbia. When exploring the homeschooling route, please be aware that the laws and policies that govern homeschooling differ by state. If you wonder if homeschooling is a good fit for your family, you probably have questions about how to begin the process and what resources are available. Because of this, we created a series entitled, How to Start Homeschooling. In each installment, we will discuss homeschooling rules and resources for each state. In today’s installment, we will discuss homeschooling in Florida.

What you need to know:

• In Florida, you submit a notice of intent form to your school district within 30 days of starting homeschooling. It only needs to be filed one time, and for any kid who is six years old or older before February 1st.
• If you need to remove your kid, submit your Notice of Intent first and inform your kid’s school that you will remove your kid.
• There are no requirements for homeschool teachers.
• There are no particular hours per day or days per year that your kid needs to be homeschooled.
• There is no list of required academic subjects for homeschooled learners.
• Florida Homeschool Law requires that you maintain an academic portfolio and content for your kid for the superintendent.
• Homeschool learners must be evaluated annually. The results of this evaluation must be recorded, and an evaluation letter must be sent to your district superintendent.
• If you re-enroll your child in a public school, you must file a notice of your homeschool termination with the state.

Resources

Florida has several funding assistance options for parents who are homeschooling their kids. The Step Up Scholarship has five scholarships, four of which are available to any kid in the state of Florida. If your kid has special needs, Step Up for Kids provides the Gardiner Scholarship to assist you with their education. Florida’s state also offers the McKay Scholarship, also is offered to learners with special needs to help them attend the school that offers them the support they need.

You can also check out the Florida Department of Education’s Homeschooling page, the Florida Parent Educators Association, Home School Legal Defense Association – Florida, the Alliance for the Pursuit of Knowledge, Inc. (Homeschool Learning Co-op: Brandon & Gardenville), and the West Florida Home Education Support League.