Homeschooling in Florida: Guidance for Getting Started

Looking for Florida homeschooling information? Maybe you know you want to homeschool and are ready to find out what steps you need to take to get started. Or maybe you’re just curious about homeschooling and want to dabble in the basics of homeschooling in Florida: what you’ll need to homeschool, how much it costs to homeschool in Florida, and what the Florida homeschool laws require. This guide was written for you!

DISCLAIMER: This article is not written as legal advice. Check with your local school board and official Florida laws before making decisions about educating your children.

Florida homeschooling statues outline three ways to homeschool in the state:

1. Under the homeschool statute (the most common method).
2. Via an umbrella school (a private school that provides support to you while you school your children at home).
3. Through the teaching of a private (certified) tutor.

This guide will primarily focus on the first type of homeschooler, but occasionally will reference the other two methods. 

The rules for homeschooling in Florida are clear and allow for a large measure of freedom. Homeschooling is totally doable in Florida! 

Here’s the official Florida definition of a portfolio:

A log of educational activities which is made contemporaneously with the instruction and which designates by title any reading materials used and samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials used or developed by the student.”

Throughout your school year, keep documentation of what you covered with your child. You don’t need an elaborate filing system or a fancy presentation medium. Keep these things:

• A list of what curriculum and learning resources you used.
• A log of field trips, homeschool co-op classes, and other extracurriculars.
• Student samples of work (either physical or digital copies)—a few from each the beginning of the year, possibly from the middle of the year, and definitely from the end of the school year so that the evaluator can see progress.

Be assured that the portfolio is merely used to demonstrate progress. There is no requirement that your child be on grade level as per Florida standards. If your child has matured from point A to point B, that’s progress! 

Be sure to keep your portfolio for at least two years. Although your school district is not required to look at your portfolio, the superintendent could possibly ask to see it upon a 15-day written notice. This situation is rare but is legally possible.

There are five ways to fulfill the requirement of an annual evaluation:

1. A Florida certified teacher may evaluate the child's progress based on a portfolio review and meeting with the child.
2. The student may take a nationally normed student achievement test administered by a certified teacher.
3. The student may take the state assessment provided by the school district. 
4. The student may be evaluated by a credentialed psychologist
5. The student may be evaluated with any other valid measurement tool as mutually agreed upon by the parent and the superintendent.

Having a certified teacher go over your child’s portfolio is the most common method of annual evaluation. This is simple, low-key, and affordable. The assessor is simply looking for progress from the beginning of the year to the end. Here’s how one evaluator describes what she looks for during one of these assessments:

Florida law requires evidence of educational progress commensurate with ability. Educational progress could be shown by finishing 2/3 or more of a curriculum (Schools almost never finish theirs so they can't require us to finish ours.), or less if supplemented with a lot of materials or activities outside the main curriculum. Or by earning passing grades in a curriculum that provides grades. Or by showing that the student is working on more advanced materials or has more advanced skills than at the beginning of the year. Or by showing that the student has been regularly learning in a variety of subject areas.

If your child is regularly learning and you've kept records of that learning, passing the evaluation should not be a worry.

FPEA offers a directory of possible evaluators here. Or you can find a teacher friend to do it. Any certified teacher can do the evaluation. 

Now that you know how homeschooling works in Florida, let’s drill down to the specifics—exactly how to get started, what you’ll need, when to start, and how long to homeschool. 

Homeschool Spaces

While you don’t need a dedicated homeschool room to be successful, you will probably want a few designated areas: shelves and cupboards for supplies, a cozy spot for read-alouds, and an area for pencil-and-paper table work.

A Homeschool Schedule (or Routine)

To make sure you give your child adequate instruction, you’ll want to adhere to a flexible schedule or routine. If you get a curriculum like Sonlight, the Instructor’s Guide can serve as your daily schedule. 

Lots of homeschool moms use a planner like this one to organize their days—both their homeschool objectives as well as their household and personal responsibilities. 

Keep track of your Florida field trips for your required portfolio with our free printable field trip log—an excerpt from the Sonlight homeschool planner. Print as many pages as you need. And you may need a lot! Florida has so many amazing field trip possibilities.

Florida venues love having homeschoolers for field trips! That’s why many of them have special homeschool days or offer special homeschool discounts. Inquire of the venue to verify that the discounts listed below are still available since policies can change.

• SeaWorld and Busch Gardens both offer free preschool cards, granting free admission for children five and under. 
• Wonderworks offers deeply discounted admission prices on annual homeschool days.
• The Kennedy Space Center offers discounts on educational tours of 15 or more.
• Orlando Science Center gives a 10% discount to homeschoolers. Just show your FPEA membership or letter of intent to homeschool!
• Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) grants homeschool parents special pricing via their Educators Circle.
• Cracker Country offers special homeschool tours.

1. Tarpon Springs (learn about the Greek sponge divers)
2. Fort DeSoto Park
3. Air Force Space & Missile Museum
4. Venice Area Audubon Society
5. St. Augustine’s castles and historic churches
6. Manatee habitats and refuges
7. The Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center
8. Osceola County Fair and Livestock Show
9. Florida Museum of Natural History
10. The Florida Aquarium
11. The Raney House Museum
12. Historic Pensacola
13. Military Heritage Museum
14. McKee Botanical Garden
15. Cape Canaveral Lighthouse
16. Miccosukee Indian Village & Museum
17. Crystal River Archaeological State Park | See all Florida State Parks here
18. Lubee Bat Conservancy
19. American Space Museum & Space Walk of Fame
20. Olustee Civil War Battlefield State Park

Homeschooling does have a cost. In most cases, one parent devotes full time attention to teaching the children. Because of the time commitment required, the teaching parent is unlikely to also hold down a full time job. (Many parents do juggle work-from-home side gigs and part time work, though!) So homeschooling can reduce household income in many cases. 

On top of the lower earning potential, homeschool families bear the cost of curriculum, afterschool activities, field trips, etc. But the benefits of homeschooling make any financial sacrifice well worth it!  

Although part-time homeschooling isn’t done in Florida, homeschooling laws in Florida do allow homeschoolers to participate in public school activities. So inquire of your local district to see if activities like band or sports are available to your child.

Are you homeschooling out of a longing to pass your faith to the next generation? If so, Christian homeschooling is an excellent option. 

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.” Deuteronomy 4:9-10 (NIV)

Many parents consider homeschooling a natural outgrowth of the calling to teach their children the things of God. This mission has been at the very heart of Sonlight since its inception. That’s why every History / Bible / Literature package has the Bible integrated into the program and always includes a missionary biography to inspire your family with stories of sacrifice and godly obedience. 

If you want to homeschool with a Christian perspective, Sonlight is the ideal choice. 

Because homeschooling is so popular in the Alligator State, it’s fairly easy to find homeschool community in Florida. And let’s be honest. You’re going to need community! Not only can community provide an outlet for field trips and socialization for your child, but it can also offer you the comfort of like minded moms who know exactly what you’re going through. Don’t try to go it alone. Find your homeschool tribe and get the emotional support and practical advice you need! 

Here are websites and organizations that can either provide the community you need or direct you to a local group:

• Florida Parent Educators Association
• Black Homeschoolers of Central Florida
• Florida Homeschool Conference 
• Florida Homeschooling Support Groups
• Search Sonlight Connections for in-person homeschooling group in Florida

Yes, you can homeschool all the way through twelfth grade and not shortchange your teen one iota of future advantage! In fact, homeschooling provides incredible benefits that a public school simply can’t match. You can customize a 4-year plan that prepares your teen for their future and builds on personal passions and strengths in a way that a cookie-cutter public school education simply can’t.

Sonlight provides flexible mix-and-match homeschool curriculum choices for high schoolers.

Dual enrollment means a high schooler is simultaneously earning both high school credits and college credits by attending college classes. Homeschoolers are eligible for dual enrollment in Florida. Check with your local university, college, or community college to get details. 

The state of Florida puts no restrictions on high school students who are homeschooled. There are no requirements in terms of coursework, credits earned, or minimum GPA. This may sound like bliss or a bit scary depending on how much direction you need. So before you start high school with your teen, get Sonlight’s College and Career Planning Kit. It will give you direction for devising a unique and practical 4-year high school plan. 

If your teen is college-bound, use college requirements as the base for your high school course outline. Simply search the admissions requirements of your teen’s colleges of choice. Then work backwards, making sure your teen covers all the courses and earns the right credits as per the transcript you create. 

As a homeschooler, you will issue your teen’s diploma and transcript (unless you are homeschooling under an umbrella school). Use our free guide to help you craft your teen’s transcript—it’s not nearly as scary as it may seem!

You can have a private ceremony for your graduating senior or you can participate in a larger homeschool event. For example, FPEA holds a statewide graduation ceremony complete with weekend activities. 

Being homeschooled doesn’t close the door to college. There may be a few extra hoops to jump through, but colleges generally look favorably on homeschooled applicants. For example, the University of Central Florida accepts applications from homeschooled students through a process that is the same as that for other students.

The Florida Board of Governors sets the minimum eligibility requirements for state schools. Of course, getting into college (and earning scholarship dollars) is competitive, so you’ll want to go beyond the minimums. Doing so is easy as a homeschooler since you can customize your teen’s 4-year high school experience and create a unique transcript as well. 

Here are those requirements:

• 4 credits of English 
• 4 credits of math (Algebra I and higher)
• 3 credits of natural science (at least two with a lab)
• 3 credits of social studies
• 2 credits of a foreign language
• 2 electives

Lisa F., a Sonlighter in Jacksonville, FL says,

Florida is a great state to homeschool in … We are eligible for the Florida Bright Futures college scholarships. It’s great!”

For encouragement about where homeschooling can take your teen longterm, read our blog posts in the Where Are They Now category. Sonlight graduates have gone on to meaningful careers in ministry, medicine, military service, and so much more. Be sure to check out Sonlight's College Scholarships too!

Of course, a transcript is a requirement for applying to college and technical school. But it’s easy to create your own official document as a homeschooler. Get our free guide to high school transcripts here. (If you choose to homeschool under an umbrella school, it will provide a transcript for your teen.)