- How much it asks
- Detailed: notices plus tests or reviews
- School age
- 6 through 16
- Time
- No set number
Option 1
Home education program (Florida Statute 1002.41)
Parents who teach and direct their child's education at home. Most Florida homeschool families use this path. The parent does not need a teaching certificate.
- Within 30 days of startingPaperwork
Send a letter of intent
Send a written notice, signed by the parent, to the district school superintendent in the county where you live. Include the full legal names, addresses, and birthdates of each child who will be homeschooled. The superintendent's office accepts it and registers your program.
- OngoingRecords
Keep a portfolio
Keep a log of educational activities, written at the time of teaching, that names the reading materials used. Also keep samples of writing, worksheets, workbooks, or creative work your child made. You decide what goes in the portfolio.
- Only if the district asks, with 15 days' written noticeRecords
Make the portfolio available if asked
If the superintendent asks to see the portfolio, you must make it available after at least 15 days' written notice. The superintendent does not have to inspect it.
- Every yearTesting
Complete the annual evaluation
Show each year that your child is making progress at a level that fits their ability. You choose one method: a certified Florida teacher reviews the portfolio and talks with the child; a nationally normed achievement test given by a certified teacher; the state student assessment test used by the district, given by a certified teacher; an evaluation by a person holding a valid, active Florida license named in the statute; or another tool agreed on by you and the district.
- Every year, with the evaluationPaperwork
File a copy of the evaluation
Send a copy of the annual evaluation to the superintendent's office in the county where the child lives. Keep your own copy and proof that the district received it.
- Within 30 days of ending the programPaperwork
Give notice when you stop
When you end the home education program, file a written notice of termination with the superintendent. Include the final annual evaluation.
Option 2
Private tutoring program (Florida Statute 1002.43)
Families who hire a tutor to teach their child at home or in a permitted location. The tutor must hold a valid Florida teaching certificate for the subjects taught.
- Before you startWho teaches
Confirm the tutor's certificate
The tutor must hold a valid Florida certificate to teach the subjects or grades being taught.
- OngoingRecords
Keep records and report attendance
The tutor must keep all records and make all reports that the state and district require. Attendance is reported as the statute describes. Tutoring for up to 25 students may take place in certain buildings and facilities, such as libraries, churches, and commercial buildings with a valid certificate of occupancy.
Tests and reviews
Each year, you must complete one annual educational evaluation showing progress at a level that fits your child's ability. You choose the method from the five the statute lists. The evaluation copy must be filed with the county superintendent. If the child does not show progress, the district must notify you in writing. You then have one year to provide remedial instruction, and the child is evaluated again at the end of that year. The district may end the program if the program is not continued in compliance.
Records to keep
- Log of educational activities, made at the time of instruction, naming reading materials used by title
- Samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials made or used by the student
- Copy of the annual educational evaluation, with proof the district received it
- Copy of the letter of intent and any notice of termination
About time
Home education has no set number of school days or hours. Parents set the schedule. The statute says a home education program does not have to meet the school-day requirements.
Also good to know
- Compulsory school attendance begins for a child who turns 6 by February 1 of the school year. A 5-year-old who will not turn 6 by February 1 is not required to attend, and districts are not required to accept a letter of intent for that child.
- A student who turns 16 during the school year is no longer subject to compulsory attendance if the student and parent sign a formal declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment with the district school board. The declaration must acknowledge that leaving school is likely to reduce earning potential.
- Home education students may take part in interscholastic extracurricular activities under Florida Statute 1006.15.
- Home education students may take part in dual enrollment and may be admitted to Florida College System institutions and state universities under the rules the statute sets.
- Home education students may take part in the Bright Futures Scholarship Program under the statute.
- School districts must offer industry certifications, national assessments, and statewide standardized assessments to home education students, as the district offers them.
- Districts must identify, locate, and evaluate children with disabilities, including children in home education. A district may offer a services plan, such as therapy at a nearby public school.
- The district may act on a pattern of nonattendance by requiring the parent to submit a portfolio for review. The rules for this review are not confirmed in this guide.
What we couldn’t confirm
- Requirements for private schools and umbrella schools under Florida Statute 1002.42 were not confirmed from the official text.
- Part-time public school enrollment under Florida Statute 1002.44 was not read and is not described here.
- Attendance minimum for private tutoring under Florida Statute 1011.60(2) was not confirmed.
- Whether the Department of Education or your district provides an official letter of intent or evaluation form was not confirmed. Ask your county district home education office.
- The exact license types named in the evaluation option were not confirmed. Check Florida Statute 1002.41 and the 490.003 license list.
- How long records must be kept beyond the two-year portfolio rule for other documents was not confirmed.
- Scholarship options such as the Personalized Education Program were not verified from an official source and are left out.
- Returning to public school mid-year is not covered by sources read for this guide.
From Florida’s own sources
- Florida Statutes 1002.41 Home Education Programs (2026)
- Florida Statutes 1002.43 Private Tutoring Programs (2026)
- Florida Statutes 1003.21 School Attendance (2025)
- Florida Statutes 1002.20 K-12 Student and Parent Rights (2026)
Last checked against these sources on November 7, 2026. We check every state each week.