The Florida Step Up Scholarship is a program that offers financial support for families to choose private schools, homeschool, or receive tutoring. It's aimed at helping low-income students, those bullied, and those with special needs.
As of 2024, 12 states have enacted universal or near-universal Education Savings Account (ESA) programs, with Arizona's program alone serving over 75,000 students — making state-funded homeschooling more accessible than ever (EdChoice, 2024). According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), approximately 3.3 million students were homeschooled in the United States as of 2023, representing roughly 6% of the school-age population.
What is Step Up for Students?
Step Up for Students is a nonprofit in Florida. They handle about 99% of school choice scholarships here. They help families with low incomes, students facing bullying, and those with special needs. The scholarships can pay for private school, homeschooling, tutoring, therapy, and more. They are recognized by the state to manage these programs.
How the priority system works
The scholarship system uses a priority list based on household income. Families earning up to 185% of the federal poverty level (FPL) get first priority. Next are families between 185% and 400% FPL. But don’t worry—every Florida student can apply, no matter their income. Once you get a scholarship, you're covered until you graduate or turn 21, even if your income goes up. If you renew by April 30, you get priority over new applicants.
The personalized education program for homeschoolers
The Personalized Education Program (PEP) supports homeschool families and students not full-time in public or private schools. It can help pay for part-time private classes, hybrid school programs, homeschool materials, tutoring, and online learning. To be eligible, students must be K-12 Florida residents, at least 5 years old by September 1, and file to end traditional home education with the school district. PEP applications close on April 30, with no late submissions accepted.
Unique abilities scholarship
The Florida Education Savings Account for Unique Abilities (FES-UA) is for students ages 3 to 12th grade (or 22, whichever comes first) with qualifying disabilities. Conditions include autism, intellectual disabilities, speech issues, and more. Funds can be used for private school tuition, therapy, assistive technology, homeschool materials, and even saving for college. Students with more needs can get between $22,000 and $36,000 or more each year.
The bottom line
Step Up for Students is your main path to school choice funding in Florida. Whether you need a private school scholarship, homeschool help through PEP, or support for a child with disabilities, they handle it all. The wide range of covered expenses and no income limits make these programs available to many Florida families. Reach out to Step Up for Students at (877) 735-7837 or check out stepupforstudents.org for updates on the 2026-27 applications.
