Florida Homeschool Resource
Florida home-education compliance hub
Florida registered home education is parent directed, but it has a specific notice, portfolio, annual-evaluation, record-retention, and closing process. Use the current statute and your county office for official decisions, then keep a simple family file that makes every deadline visible.
Send a signed written notice of intent to the district superintendent’s office in the county of residence within 30 days after establishing the program. Keep the exact notice and proof of receipt.
See the compliance timeline →Maintain a contemporaneous activity log that names reading materials plus representative writings, worksheets, workbooks, and creative work chosen by the parent.
Build the portfolio file →Choose one statutory method, complete it on the family’s annual cycle, file a copy with the district, and retain the evaluation and delivery confirmation.
Compare all five methods →Moving to another Florida district, joining PEP, enrolling elsewhere, and ending home education can require different notices and records. Confirm the exact step before filing a termination.
Plan a change of path →Official Florida source desk
District forms and procedures can change, but they cannot replace Florida law. Read the current statute, confirm the correct county contact, and keep written records of submissions and responses.
2026 Florida Statutes
The controlling state text covers notice, registration, portfolio contents, two-year preservation, 15-day inspection notice, annual evaluation methods, termination, and district responsibilities.
Read the current statute →Florida Department of Education
Start with the state’s home-education landing page for current parent resources, contacts, reports, and links maintained by the Office of School Choice.
Open the FLDOE home-education hub →Florida Department of Education
Locate the current county contact, email, phone number, and district home-education page. Letters of intent, evaluations, and student records go to the local office—not the state office.
Find the county office →FLDOE parent FAQ—revised July 2024
Use the parent FAQ for state explanations of portfolios, evaluations, termination, moving between Florida districts, public-school services, and common parent questions.
Open the official parent FAQ →Florida Department of Education
PEP students register with a scholarship-funding organization, not the district home-education program, and follow separate learning-plan and assessment responsibilities.
Read the FLDOE PEP FAQ →Registered-home-education timeline
Use the date the program was established and the district’s recorded anniversary as working anchors. Confirm deadlines in writing with the local office when records disagree or a family is changing pathways.
Within 30 days of establishing
The signed written notice includes each student’s full legal name, address, and birthdate. The district must accept and register it upon receipt and generally may not require additional information unless the student uses a district program or service.
Throughout the year
Keep the activity log contemporaneously with instruction, list reading materials by title, and preserve representative work. Add curriculum plans, grades, attendance, or schedules only when useful to the family or another program.
Every year
Document progress commensurate with the student’s ability through one of the five statutory methods and file a copy with the superintendent’s office in the county of residence. Keep proof the district received it.
For two years
The parent determines portfolio content and preserves it for two years. If the district requests inspection, the statute requires 15 days’ written notice; the law does not require routine inspection of every portfolio.
Within 30 days of ending
When the home-education program is completed or terminated, file a written termination notice and the required annual evaluation within 30 days. Confirm the closing record with the district.
When moving within Florida
FLDOE’s parent FAQ says a move between Florida districts does not require termination or an evaluation to the prior district when the program continues. Notify both districts and preserve their written confirmations.
Five statutory evaluation methods
Section 1002.41 lists five choices. Credentials, administration, reports, timing, fees, and district procedures should be confirmed before booking or testing.
A parent-selected teacher holding a valid regular Florida certificate for academic subjects at the elementary or secondary level reviews the portfolio, discusses learning with the student, and documents progress.
The student takes a nationally normed achievement test administered by a certified teacher. Confirm the test, administrator credential, format, accommodations, and report accepted for this purpose.
The student takes a state assessment used by the district, administered by a certified teacher at a location and under conditions approved by the district. Arrange details with the district in advance.
An individual holding the active Florida license described in the statute evaluates the student. Confirm the professional’s license status, scope, report, fee, and scheduling before engagement.
The parent and district superintendent mutually agree on another valid measurement tool. Obtain the agreement in writing before relying on this option.
The family compliance file
A lean statutory portfolio can live beside a broader planning archive. Label the required records clearly so curriculum changes, creative work, testing, scholarships, and future transcripts do not bury the documents needed for compliance.
Important: This page is educational information, not legal advice. Requirements can change, individual facts matter, and district procedures may differ. Verify the current statute, FLDOE guidance, correct county contact, filing destination, deadline, credential, assessment, and written receipt before relying on any summary. PEP, private-school enrollment, private tutoring, and registered home education are distinct pathways.
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