Homeschooling in Florida
The Florida law, in plain English — and how Larose Christian Academy keeps your family covered.
📌 The short version
Florida offers two paths: file your own Notice of Intent with the district (independent home education), or enroll in a private cover school and let the school handle the legal standing. An umbrella student is legally a private school student rather than a home education student, which matters because Florida scholarship programs are keyed to those categories. LCA families use the cover-school route.
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Compulsory Attendance
Ages 6 to 16
Notification / Registration
If homeschooling independently (home education option), parents file a Notice of Intent with the county school superintendent within 30 days of starting. Families enrolled in a private cover school do not file their own notice.
How a Cover School Helps
Florida recognizes umbrella/cover schools as a separate legal route (private school option, F.S. §1002.01(3) — including schools operating through correspondence/extension). Families may enroll in a private school that covers them instead of filing their own Notice of Intent. A private school serving Florida families must complete the annual private school survey with the Florida DOE (F.S. §1002.42).
Curriculum
No state-prescribed curriculum; instruction must be regular.
Attendance
No statutory day-count for home education — instruction must be regular (the 180-day school term applies to public schools, not home education programs).
Records & Testing
Parents keep a portfolio of educational activities and samples, must preserve it for two years, and must produce it on 15 days written notice from the district superintendent (F.S. 1002.41(1)(d), (e)). Independent home education: an annual educational evaluation, and a copy must be filed with the district school superintendent. The parent chooses the method, from a portfolio review by a certified teacher, a nationally normed test, the state assessment, an evaluator licensed under Section 490.003(7) or (8), or another tool agreed with the district (F.S. 1002.41(1)(f)). Cover-school families are not subject to this requirement.
Teacher Requirements
No teacher certification required for home education.
Official sources
- Florida Statute §1002.41 (home education) ↗
- Florida DOE — Home Education ↗
- HSLDA — Florida Homeschool Law ↗
Informational only — not legal advice. Laws change, and this summary may not be perfect. Please double-check what we wrote against your state's education department or the linked statutes before relying on it.