Florida School Voucher Expansion: Who Qualifies and How to Apply

Every K-12 student who lives in Florida is eligible for a Family Empowerment Scholarship under the state’s expanded voucher program, regardless of household income. That change came with House Bill 1, signed in March 2023, which removed the income cap that had previously governed Florida school voucher eligibility.¹ Income still affects where your application sits in the queue when funding is tight, but it no longer disqualifies anyone.

Who Qualifies

The statutory requirements are short. Your child must be a Florida resident and must be eligible to enroll in a public school in kindergarten through grade 12.² There’s no minimum length of residency, but you’ll need to prove you live in Florida now with documentation at the time you apply.

Children entering kindergarten or first grade qualify without any prior school history. For older students, statute contemplates prior Florida public school attendance, though enforcement has loosened significantly since the 2023 expansion. Two groups are statutorily exempt from any prior public school attendance requirement: dependents of active-duty military transferred into Florida on a permanent change of station, and children in foster care.²

Where Income Still Matters

Universal eligibility doesn’t mean everyone gets funded at the same time. When applications exceed available funding, scholarships are awarded in a set priority order:³

Priority 1 goes to students renewing a scholarship from the prior year.
Priority 2 covers students whose household income is at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level, and students in foster care or out-of-home care.
Priority 3 covers students whose household income falls between 185 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level.⁴

Families above 400 percent of the federal poverty level remain eligible but are processed after the three priority groups. If you’re a first-time applicant with a higher income, budget for the possibility that your application waits.

Application Deadlines

For the 2026-27 school year, applications opened on February 1, 2026. Renewing students had to submit by April 30, 2026 to keep their Priority 1 status; renewals filed after that date are processed as new applications. New students can apply through November 15, 2026.⁵

Three groups can apply at any point during the school year: dependents of active-duty military, children in foster care or out-of-home care, and students who have experienced bullying or harassment in a public school.

How Much the Scholarship Pays

The award is not a flat amount. Florida law sets each student’s scholarship at 95 percent of the unweighted full-time equivalent funding under the Florida Education Finance Program for the basic program, plus a per-student share of categorical funding (excluding the Exceptional Student Education Guaranteed Allocation).² If a private school’s tuition is lower than that calculated amount, the scholarship pays only the actual tuition.

Because the FEFP allocates different amounts by district and grade level, the dollar figure varies across the state. For the 2025-26 school year, estimated awards ranged from roughly $7,380 to $11,950, with elementary students generally receiving higher amounts than high schoolers.⁶

What the Money Can Be Spent On

Private school tuition is the main use, but the approved list is broader than many families realize. Under Florida law, scholarship funds can pay for:²

Tuition and fees at an eligible private school, full-time or part-time.
Textbooks, workbooks, digital and internet-based instructional materials, and curriculum packages.
Standardized testing fees, including norm-referenced assessments, AP exams, industry certifications, and the SAT or ACT.⁷
Occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and applied behavior analysis from approved providers.
Part-time tutoring or services from a choice navigator.
Up to $750 for transportation to an out-of-district public school.
School supplies like pens, notebooks, and art materials.

All spending flows through the Scholarship Funding Organization’s online platform. You can’t pay a provider directly and seek reimbursement afterward. Each purchase requires your approval before funds are released, and every transaction is logged.⁷

How To Apply

You don’t apply to the state directly. All applications go through a state-approved Scholarship Funding Organization, and Florida has two: Step Up For Students and the AAA Scholarship Foundation.⁸ Both administer FES-EO and the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship on the same application.

The steps are the same at either organization. Create an account on the SFO’s online portal, complete the application, and upload your residency documents, your child’s identity verification, and any income documentation needed to establish priority. The SFO reviews and verifies eligibility. Approved families receive an award letter and instructions for the spending platform.⁹

Which SFO to choose matters more this cycle than usual. Some participating private schools have reported significant delays in receiving disbursements from Step Up For Students, and a group of school owners filed a lawsuit against Step Up in early 2026 over payments they said had been delayed by more than two years. AAA Scholarship Foundation has publicly welcomed families transferring from Step Up and committed to a streamlined process for those students.⁹ Before you pick, ask your child’s prospective school which SFO has been paying them reliably.

Documents You’ll Need

The application asks for two different types of documents proving the guardian’s Florida residency. Acceptable options include a Florida driver’s license or state ID, a utility bill, a residential lease or mortgage statement, a paystub, proof of government benefits, a homestead or property tax statement, and auto or health insurance statements. The two documents must be different types. Two utility bills from different months won’t count.

Military families with PCS orders into or out of Florida provide the updated orders along with a recent Leave and Earnings Statement. Military families already stationed in Florida use the standard residency documentation and cannot substitute PCS orders.

You’ll also verify your child’s identity and age, most commonly with a birth certificate, though a valid passport or other government-issued identification works. If your child is transferring from a Florida public school, keep enrollment or withdrawal records handy.

Losing the Scholarship

Florida enforces the spending rules. A parent who fails to approve payments properly or otherwise violates program requirements forfeits the scholarship.¹⁰ For fraud, kickbacks or rebates from a provider, or other abuse, the Commissioner of Education can revoke program eligibility entirely, close the account, and return any remaining funds to the state. Because every transaction runs through the SFO platform, unapproved purchases get flagged quickly. Stay inside the approved categories and approve payments when prompted.

Other Programs If FES-EO Isn’t the Fit

Two related scholarships sit alongside FES-EO. The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities serves children with documented disabilities, including students as young as three or four, and covers a wider range of specialized services.¹ It requires a documented disability rather than simple residency.

The Personalized Education Program functions more like an education savings account and gives parents broader spending flexibility, which can suit families whose children don’t fit a traditional private school model. PEP is capped at 140,000 students for 2026-27 and grows by 40,000 students annually.¹¹

1
Florida Department of Education. Family Empowerment Scholarship
2
Official Internet Site of the Florida Legislature. Florida Code 1002.394 – Family Empowerment Scholarship Program
3
Step Up For Students. Private School Scholarships
4
Florida Senate. 2023 Bill Summaries – HB 1 School Choice
5
Step Up For Students. Apply
6
Step Up For Students. 2025-26 Scholarship Amounts
7
Florida Department of Education. 2025-2026 SFO Renewal Application
8
Florida Department of Education. Scholarship Funding Organizations
9
AAA Scholarship Foundation. Florida Parents
10
Official Internet Site of the Florida Legislature. Florida Code 1002.395 – Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program
11
Step Up For Students. Personalized Education Program