How to Pay for Homeschooling with Florida ESAs
Homeschooling is an effective way to bring fun, flexibility, and a personal touch to your child’s education. However, many parents worry that homeschooling is too expensive compared to traditional school. Thankfully, Florida offers ESA scholarships (Education Savings Accounts) that can be used to purchase All About Learning Press programs that make homeschooling easy, effective, and enjoyable! They can also help cover extras like tutoring, extracurricular classes, school supplies, and much more.
Keep reading to learn about who’s eligible, what the funds can be used for, and how to get started!
How to Get Started
Parents do not apply directly through the state. Instead, families apply through a state-approved Scholarship Funding Organization (SFO), most commonly Step Up For Students or AAA Scholarship Foundation.
The SFO determines eligibility, awards the scholarship, and manages the distribution of funds.
Once approved, families access their scholarship account through the EMA (Education Market Assistant) portal, where they can purchase approved educational items or submit reimbursement requests.
What is Florida’s ESA Program?
Florida offers several scholarship programs that function similarly to Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and help families pay for education. The main program is the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES), which includes several options. The Personalized Education Program (PEP) is the most commonly used option for homeschool families, while Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) supports students with unique abilities. These programs allow families to use scholarship funds for approved educational expenses such as curriculum, tutoring, classes, and learning materials.
The idea is that instead of the state sending education funding to a public school, your child’s share of that funding goes into a managed account. You can then use those funds for approved educational expenses of your choice to help pay for schooling.
Why Many Homeschool Families Use ESAs
Families often take advantage of the ESA program because it helps them:
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Reduce the cost of homeschooling
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Access additional resources and instruction
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Combine home education with outside materials or programs
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Create a flexible, personalized education
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Basic Requirements for Homeschool Families
To participate in the Personalized Education Program (PEP):
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Your child must be a Florida resident
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Your child must be eligible for kindergarten and at least age 5 by September 1 of the school year
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Your child cannot be enrolled full-time in a public or private school
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You must create a student learning plan (outlining learning goals, the subjects being studied, and educational services or materials needed for the year)
Parents remain the primary educators, which means you continue to make the educational decisions.
How Much Funding Do Homeschool Families Receive?
Most families receive approximately $8,000 – $10,000 per student each year. The exact amount depends on factors like your child’s grade level and the specific formula that your school district uses to calculate funding. The funds are not paid directly to parents but are managed through scholarship organizations such as Step Up For Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation.
What Can ESA Funds Be Used For?
All About Learning Press offers a broad range of products that can be purchased with Personalized Education Program funds. All About Reading, All About Spelling, and All About Math are perfect for creating the language arts and math components of your homeschool curriculum. Check out our free placement tests to see which programs are right for your student. We also offer a range of supplementary products that can complement other programs and resources.
Additionally, PEP funds are often used for the following:
Curriculum and Learning Materials
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Full homeschool curriculum programs
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Individual textbooks or workbooks
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Online learning platforms
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Educational software
Classes and Instruction
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Private tutors
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Online courses
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Hybrid homeschool programs
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Learning pods or microschools
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Local enrichment classes
Extracurricular Learning
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Music lessons
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Art classes
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STEM or coding programs
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Language classe
Testing and Academic Support
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Standardized testing
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Academic evaluations
How Are the Funds Distributed?
Parents can typically purchase approved educational items in two ways:
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Marketplace purchase: Order through the EMA (Education Market Assistant) marketplace, where the scholarship organization pays the vendor directly
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Reimbursement: Purchase approved educational items or services yourself and submit receipts for reimbursement through the EMA portal.
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