Opening the Door to a Private Education
Education isn’t one-size-fits-all. Just as every student is different, every classroom is different, and every school is different. Students learn best in an academic environment that is best suited to their learning needs.
Step Up For Students supports Florida students and families in building a stronger future through personalized education by opening doors with private school tuition assistance.
Scholarships for Private Schools
The scholarship can be used for tuition along with other related expenses such as registration, books, testing, and other fees.
Please note: With recently passed legislation, the Hope Scholarship which was created to support families whose K-12 students have experienced bullying, will merge with the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) and Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) programs. Families whose students benefited from the Hope Scholarship for the 2023-24 school year OR who were interested in the Hope Scholarship, will now apply through the FTC/FES-EO programs for the 2024-25 school year.
Who Is Eligible?
Priority is given to families whose household income is 400% of poverty or below as outlined in the income priority guidelines or who meet the following criteria:
- Renewing students of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship and/or Family Empowerment Scholarship
- Children in foster care or out-of-home care
- Homeless children
With recently passed legislation, the following will go into effect on July 1, 2024, if signed by the Governor:
- Active-duty members of the U.S. military may apply for a private school scholarship as soon as they receive permanent change of duty station orders to Florida.
- The Hope Scholarship, which was created to support families whose K-12 students have experienced bullying, will merge with the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) and Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) programs. Families whose students benefited from the Hope Scholarship for the 2023-24 school year will now apply through the FTC/FES-EO programs for the 2024-25 school year and will be processed as a renewal student. New families interested in the Hope Scholarship, will now also apply through the FTC/FES-EO programs for the 2024-25 school year.
How Does It Work?
Families need to complete an application through Step Up For Students. Once awarded a scholarship, work with your selected participating private school to enroll your student through the Step Up For Students EMA platform. You will be notified when it is time to log into your account to approve scholarship funds that will be issued directly to your school electronically.
Scholarship amounts vary by county and grade but are worth an average of $7,800. The scholarship awards will first pay for tuition and fees at eligible private schools. Remaining funds can be accessed through an education savings account (ESA) and used to pay for:
- Instructional material
- Curriculum
- Tuition for full-time or part-time education at an eligible postsecondary educational institution or approved apprenticeship program
- Fees for nationally standardized norm-referenced tests and other assessments
- Contracted services provided by a public school or school district
- An approved online course
- Tuition as a private pay student at Florida Virtual School,
- Fees for a “Choice Navigator,” which is an optional service provider intended to help guide parents through the myriad of choices that will become available to them through their ESA
Stepping Up To Success
