How do I...?
The Florida Statutes shall always prevail. Find them HERE.
How do I...withdraw my child from homeschool / end a child's home education (homeschool) program?
To end a child's home education program, a notice of termination is required. Submit a "Notice of Termination" for any of the following reasons: (1) your student completes the Florida home education program, or "graduates"; (2) your student moves from homeschooling to a private school, public or charter school; or, (3) your family moves out of the State of Florida. The notice of termination is also called, the "Letter of Termination". Find a sample of this document HERE. Also, note, a notice of termination (letter of termination) should always be accompanied by an annual evaluation, described HERE.
How do I...transfer homeschool credits when enrolling my student into a public school?
When transferring a student into a public school, the "transfer of credit rule" applies. Read excerpt, below:
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1003.4282(7) UNIFORM TRANSFER OF HIGH SCHOOL CREDITS.—Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, if a student transfers to a Florida public high school from out of country, out of state, a private school, or a home education program and the student’s transcript shows a credit in Algebra I, the student must pass the statewide, standardized Algebra I EOC assessment in order to earn a standard high school diploma unless the student earned a comparative score, passed a statewide assessment in Algebra I administered by the transferring entity, or passed the statewide mathematics assessment the transferring entity uses to satisfy the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), 20 U.S.C. ss. 6301 et seq. If a student’s transcript shows a credit in high school reading or English Language Arts II or III, in order to earn a standard high school diploma, the student must take and pass the statewide, standardized grade 10 ELA assessment, or earn a concordant score. If a transfer student’s transcript shows a final course grade and course credit in Algebra I, Geometry, Biology I, or United States History, the transferring course final grade and credit shall be honored without the student taking the requisite statewide, standardized EOC assessment and without the assessment results constituting 30 percent of the student’s final course grade. Click to view Florida Statute
How do I...dual enroll my homeschooled student at the local college?
Visit college websites or schedule an appointment to learn about dual enrollment opportunities in your area. The Florida Department of Education also provides an overview of dual enrollment and requirements for eligibility. Home education students are addressed in Paragraph 5. View the document here.
How do I...transfer my home education (homeschool) program from one county to another, because I'm changing address / moving to another part of Florida?
When moving from one Florida county to another Florida county, it is not necessary to end the homeschool program and start all over again. Instead, submit a transfer request in writing (see form HERE) to both the old county and the new county. In this way, the homeschool program will be transferred, and the existing annual evaluation date will remain the same. By transferring the program, there will be no interruption to your homeschool program. Note: this transfer of program can only be used within the State of Florida. If relocating to another state other than Florida, use the notice of termination, described in the first paragraph on this page.
How do I...withdraw my child from public school and begin homeschooling?
How do I...obtain verification of homeschool enrollment, when using Florida Virtual School Flex?
When enrolling a homeschooled student into Florida Virtual School Flex program, first, a notice of intent to homeschool should already be on file in the district. Then, when creating an account on FLVS Flex, a verification of homeschool standing from the county will be required. This verification can be obtained by requesting it from the homeschool liaison in the county in which you live. The list of district personnel from whom to obtain this verification can be found HERE.
How do I...arrange for my child to participate in extracurricular activities at my zoned school?
When requesting to participate in district extracurricular activities, the "Craig Dickinson Act" applies. Read an excerpt and find link to the Florida Statute, below:
1006.15(3)(c) An individual home education student is eligible to participate at the public school to which the student would be assigned according to district school board attendance area policies or which the student could choose to attend pursuant to s. 1002.31, or may develop an agreement to participate at a private school, in the interscholastic extracurricular activities of that school, provided the following conditions are met:
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1. The home education student must meet the requirements of the home education program pursuant to s. 1002.41.
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2. During the period of participation at a school, the home education student must demonstrate educational progress as required in paragraph (b) in all subjects taken in the home education program by a method of evaluation agreed upon by the parent and the school principal which may include: review of the student’s work by a certified teacher chosen by the parent; grades earned through correspondence; grades earned in courses taken at a Florida College System institution, university, or trade school; standardized test scores above the 35th percentile; or any other method designated in s. 1002.41.
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3. The home education student must meet the same residency requirements as other students in the school at which he or she participates.
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4. The home education student must meet the same standards of acceptance, behavior, and performance as required of other students in extracurricular activities.
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5. The student must register with the school his or her intent to participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities as a representative of the school before participation. A home education student must be able to participate in curricular activities if that is a requirement for an extracurricular activity.
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6. A student who transfers from a home education program to a public school before or during the first grading period of the school year is academically eligible to participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities during the first grading period provided the student has a successful evaluation from the previous school year, pursuant to subparagraph 2.
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How do I...move my homeschooled student to a Florida private (or umbrella) school, or from a private (umbrella) school back to homeschooling again?
How do I...prove that my homeschooled student has graduated?
​Moving a student from homeschooling to private school, or from private school to homeschooling, is described below. The mechanisms used for this action are the notice of intent & notice of termination:
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- Students in a Florida home education program who wish to enroll in a Florida private school must file a letter/notice of termination with the school superintendent's office in the district in which they reside (sample Letter of Termination HERE). The termination notice shall be accompanied by an annual evaluation, and shall serve to end the Florida home education program for that student. The student should then be enrolled in the Florida private (or umbrella) school, as per the enrollment guidelines of the private school.
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- Students enrolled in a private school who wish to move to a Florida home education program should terminate enrollment with the private school, and file a notice of intent to establish a home education program (the "letter of intent" found HERE) with the school district in the county in which they reside.
The State of Florida recognizes completion of a home education program ("graduating") as a legal and valid form of fulfilling the educational requirements for a student. Florida homeschool graduates enjoy the same rights and privileges as other graduates throughout the state, including going into colleges, careers, military or anything else they wish to pursue after graduation. Some families may wish to signify the completion of a home education program with a diploma or other certificate. The Florida Department of Education also provides an optional form, the Home Education Affidavit, which can be used for this purpose. Find it HERE.