CHECKED 2026-10-07 · 2026-2027

Florida Private School Scholarships: Programs, Deadlines and Applying

Florida’s FTC and FES-EO private-school scholarships have broad K–12 eligibility without a general income cap. Eligibility does not guarantee a particular award or admission to a school. Award amounts vary by county and grade; use the current schedule and your student’s award notice rather than a statewide average.

Status checked October 7, 2026: new 2026–27 Private School Scholarship applications have a November 15 deadline and a separate December 15 acceptance deadline. Different programs and qualifying exceptions have different timelines. Current Step Up handbook

Families can apply through a state-approved scholarship funding organization. This guide uses Step Up For Students’ current instructions; if you apply through AAA Scholarship Foundation, confirm its process and deadlines directly.

The scholarship programs

Start by distinguishing the general Private School Scholarship from the disability-specific FES-UA program and the parent-directed PEP route.

Private School Scholarship (FES-EO and FTC)

Florida offers its general private school scholarship through two funding streams:

FES-EO, the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, funded through the state budget.
FTC, the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, funded by corporate donations that earn state tax credits.

Step Up offers a single Private School Scholarship application covering these funding streams. The organization determines the applicable funding route; families should follow the requirements attached to their award. Step Up markets them together as the Private School Scholarship. The scholarship pays tuition and fees at an eligible private school, and any remaining funds can go toward approved expenses such as books, registration, and testing.

Award amount. The amount varies by county and grade level, and payment can depend on enrollment timing. Check the current award schedule linked from Step Up’s program resources. Ask your school for tuition and fees before comparing the two figures.

Eligibility and priority. Students must satisfy residency, age and public-school enrollment eligibility requirements. The handbook includes a route for dependents of active-duty military members with orders to Florida. Income priority begins with households at or below 185% FPL and students in foster/out-of-home care, followed by households above 185% through 400%, then higher-income households. Renewal and new-applicant status also matter. Use the handbook’s household and income definitions.

Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA)

FES-UA serves eligible students with qualifying disabilities beginning at age three. Specific diagnosis, documentation, age, graduation and funding-level rules apply. The award should be verified for the individual student rather than estimated from a single average; consult the Unique Abilities handbook linked from Step Up’s program resources.

FES-UA works as a flexible education savings account. It can pay private school tuition, and it can also fund therapies, tutoring, curriculum, and other approved services. A student cannot receive FES-UA and FES-EO at the same time; choose the one that fits better.

Students affected by bullying or harassment

The handbook describes a Private School Scholarship deadline exception for qualifying public-school incidents, documented with the Hope Scholarship Notification Form. Active-duty military dependents and foster/out-of-home-care students can also have exceptions. These are not unlimited “apply anytime” permissions. Step Up’s current FAQ gives April 15, 2027 for eligible exception applications and May 15, 2027 for follow-up requirements, with additional documentation and funding checkpoints. Contact Step Up promptly to confirm the requirements for your case. Current deadline FAQ

PEP for homeschool families

The Personalized Education Program (PEP), funded through FTC, supports parent-directed education. It has its own registration, learning-plan, testing, enrollment and spending rules, including rules for eligible hybrid arrangements. A PEP student is registered with a scholarship funding organization rather than a district home-education program. Its ordinary new-student application deadline for 2026–27 was April 30, not the November private-school deadline. PEP handbook

2026–27 deadlines

Applications for the 2026–27 school year opened February 1, 2026. Key dates from Step Up's family handbook:

April 30, 2026: Deadline for renewing students to submit renewal applications. Renewals submitted after this date are treated as new applications.
November 15, 2026: Deadline for new students to submit an initial Private School Scholarship application for 2026–27.
December 15, 2026: Separate deadline for new students to accept or decline the scholarship.

Submitting an application alone does not complete the process. Track acceptance, school enrollment confirmation and quarterly funding requirements in EMA. Late-year applicants should not assume they will receive the full annual amount.

Do not assume the next cycle uses the same dates. Use Step Up’s official updates for the 2027–28 calendar when it is announced.

How to apply

Choose a school and confirm it participates. The school must be eligible for the relevant scholarship. Verify current participation and whether it has an opening for your child’s grade; an award does not guarantee admission.
Create an account in Step Up For Students' online portal (EMA) at stepupforstudents.org, or with the AAA Scholarship Foundation.
Complete the application for each child. Florida requires a new application every year, including for renewing students.
Upload documents. Expect to provide proof of Florida residency, your child's age and identity, and household income documentation if you want to be considered for priority.
Accept the award by its deadline, then complete school enrollment and approve the necessary enrollment information in EMA so funds can be paid.

For FES-UA, you will also need documentation of your child's diagnosis from a qualified professional.

How payment works

For the Private School Scholarship, funds are paid toward tuition and fees at your child's school during the school year. Schools see the scholarship as a credit against your bill. If tuition is higher than the scholarship, you pay the difference. Remaining funds after tuition and fees can be used for approved education expenses.

Ask your school how it handles the timing of scholarship payments, whether it offers a payment plan for any balance, and whether it applies its own financial aid on top of the state award.

Compare the scholarship with the full bill

Get an itemized school bill for the same academic year as the award. Separate tuition and required fees from lunch, transportation, aftercare and optional activities. Ask which charges are eligible for scholarship payment and how the school handles a shortfall or delayed disbursement.

For example, if a school’s eligible charges exceed the student’s confirmed scholarship by $2,000, that difference still needs a funding source. This is an illustration, not a Florida price estimate. School aid, personal savings or a payment plan may help, subject to each provider’s rules.

Combining funding sources

Ask whether the school adds its own aid to the state award or adjusts aid when the scholarship arrives. A 529 can pay eligible remaining K–12 expenses within the 2026 federal $20,000 annual limit per beneficiary across all plans; coordinate benefits so an expense is not counted twice.

See how to pay for private school for savings, tax rules and payment-plan questions.

Official sources and updates

Checked October 7, 2026. Program rules and application status can change. Confirm the current requirements before applying or committing to a school.

This guide provides general educational information. It does not determine admission, scholarship eligibility, an award, or an individual tax result.