school superintendent. Parents register as a home education program with their school district, providing the name, addr
OCTOBER 2014
Main Line: ( 850) 245 -0502 | T oll -Fr ee Sc ho o l C h oic e H ot li ne: ( 85 0 ) 4 47 -1 63 6 | htt p:/ / www.f l or i das c hoo lch o ice. org Statutory Authority Sections 1002.01 and 1002.41, F.S. set up the definition and requirements for home education in Florida. Section 1006.15, F.S. sets participation standards regarding interscholastic extracurricular activities for home education students.
Home Education in Florida Florida is a long-time supporter of home education, and the number of families choosing this education option shows steady growth. Established by the Legislature as a school choice option in 1985, home education is defined as “the sequentially progressive instruction of a student directed by his or her parent.” Each year, the Florida Department of Education surveys all school districts to determine the number of students and families who have registered their intent to establish home education programs. For the 2013-2014 school year, the numbers provided by the districts indicate that the statewide roster of home education totals 56,689 families, accounting for 77,054 students.
District Contacts Each district has a home education contact person who works with home education families. A list of district home education contacts is available at http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org.
Questions on Home Education? Send an E-m ail to : s c hoo lc h oic e @f ld oe. or g
Establishing a Home Education Program Florida’s home education law does not require a particular educational background for parents or standard curricula for students; however, parents must maintain a portfolio of records and materials showing student work and make it available to the school district if requested in writing. Students in home education programs must annually undergo one of five academic evaluation options and submit the results to the district school superintendent. Parents register as a home education program with their school district, providing the name, address, and birth date of each student participating. Home education students may participate in dual enrollment and may be eligible for Florida Bright Futures Scholarships.
Home Education Program Statistics District Name
Year 2012-13 # Students # Families
Year 2013-14 # Students # Families
ALACHUA BAKER BAY BRADFORD BREVARD BROWARD CALHOUN CHARLOTTE CITRUS CLAY COLLIER COLUMBIA DADE DESOTO DIXIE DUVAL ESCAMBIA FLAGLER FRANKLIN GADSDEN GILCHREST GLADES GULF HAMILTON HARDEE HENDRY HERNANDO HIGHLANDS HILLSBOROUGH HOLMES INDIAN RIVER JACKSON JEFFERSON LAFAYETTE LAKE LEE LEON LEVY LIBERTY MADISON MANATEE MARION MARTIN MONROE NASSAU OKALOOSA OKEECHOBEE ORANGE OSCEOLA PALM BEACH PASCO PINELLAS POLK PUTNAM ST. JOHNS ST. LUCIE SANTA ROSA SARASOTA SEMINOLE SUMTER SUWANNEE TAYLOR UNION VOLUSIA WAKULLA WALTON WASHINGTON
1,017 223 871 163 3,607 4,200 90 467 959 1,144 1,012 687 3,368 212 102 5,949 1,635 587 23 528 212 44 125 87 131 108 975 320 6,191 130 717 394 160 37 1,972 1,395 1,276 242 14 164 1,053 1,785 495 275 636 985 267 4,069 1,378 4,959 2,211 2,730 3,440 251 1,200 1,369 900 1,081 1,348 335 410 192 108 2,160 218 285 123
626 154 646 124 2,554 3,311 60 341 766 767 661 229 2,247 168 81 4,708 818 418 22 172 156 30 111 67 92 79 701 221 4,362 96 504 294 102 25 1,414 540 951 197 11 121 789 1,282 354 189 449 696 198 3,089 1,140 3,714 1,535 1,882 2,612 171 900 1,041 600 708 934 245 323 155 77 1,718 169 204 91
1,056 202 1,003 104 4,016 4,433 93 587 798 1,276 1,251 498 3,618 189 119 5,916 1,585 530 24 360 219 44 80 68 142 97 865 383 5,190 169 742 318 146 52 2,166 1,404 1,202 244 15 226 1,127 2,117 497 233 624 878 290 3,950 1,329 5,125 2,940 2,653 3,280 288 1,284 1,459 942 1,180 1,547 422 385 209 95 2,102 207 323 138
691 129 697 25 3,893 3,296 61 537 700 887 849 166 2,418 138 87 4,289 793 375 2 198 161 40 59 49 97 71 757 281 3,534 126 571 183 83 36 1,540 839 864 201 15 211 858 1,694 497 95 460 597 235 2,953 1,015 3,807 2,117 1,838 2,697 193 849 1,119 712 850 1,181 328 254 179 71 1,651 149 240 101
STATE TOTAL
75,801
54,212
77,054
56,689
2012-13 and 2013-14 data as reported by the school districts.
