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State guide

Microschools in Florida

The legal pathways, operator types, funding programs and licensing agencies Florida recognizes, with links to the state code and agency pages that set the rules.

Sources last checked August 25, 2026·28 sources, 9 from law and government·See every source

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Which operator model are you in Florida?

Answer below. You get a ranked list of the operator models that fit here, what each would mean for you, and what would change the answer. A ranking of fits, not a licensing determination.

1. Who holds legal responsibility for each child's education?

Determines your operator model.

2. Ages served

Used for regulatory routing and market targeting.

3. Children with disabilities

May trigger state licensing requirements.

4. Days per week
5. Daily hours
6. Instructor credentials
7. Is your program's mission explicitly religious or faith-integrated?

Distinguishes a Religious Community School from a secular private school. Leave blank if it doesn't apply.

8. How will your program be accredited or authorized?

Operating under an established school's umbrella points to an Umbrella School Satellite. Leave blank if it doesn't apply.

9. How will your program be funded?

Some statutory micro-models require no tuition or no public funding. Leave blank if it doesn't apply.

10. How many students do you expect to serve?

Some statutory micro-models cap enrollment (for example, Iowa's 4-student Independent Private Instruction). Leave blank if it doesn't apply.

0 of 6 required questions answered.

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This is general information, not legal advice. We're not attorneys. Florida law and agency rules change, and how they apply depends on how your school is built: the ages you serve, your hours, and who holds legal responsibility for each child's education. Before you open, read the state rules linked on this page, talk to the agencies that administer them, and get advice from a licensed attorney in Florida.

Compulsory attendance

Legal pathways Florida recognizes

How a family satisfies compulsory attendance outside public school. Your operator type maps to one of these, and the statute linked on each card is what defines it.

Private School

Fla. Stat. § 1003.21(1); § 1002.42

A child satisfies compulsory attendance by attending a parochial, religious, denominational, or other private school. The only state-level requirement is to register with FLDOE and complete the annual database survey (§ 1002.42(2)). Schools must keep enrollment and daily attendance records open to the superintendent or designee on request.

Amounts, dates, thresholds and licensing status are left to the linked sources.

Read the source:leg.state.fl.us ↗flsenate.gov ↗fldoe.org ↗fldoe.org ↗ed.gov ↗

Certified Tutor

Fla. Stat. § 1002.43

A child satisfies compulsory attendance through a private tutoring program if the tutor holds a valid Florida teaching certificate for the subjects/grades being taught. Tutors must keep all records and reports required by the state and district, including attendance records, and meet the minimum length of school instruction prescribed by § 1011.60(2).

Amounts, dates, thresholds and licensing status are left to the linked sources.

Read the source:flsenate.gov ↗leg.state.fl.us ↗

For founders

Operator types in Florida

What each type is, and who to talk to. The requirements to hold each designation are set by the statute and agency pages linked on the card; read them before you choose.

Independent Private School

A parent-responsibility-free model where your microschool registers as a private school with FLDOE under § 1002.42 and assumes full legal responsibility for enrolled students.

Amounts, dates, thresholds and licensing status are left to the linked sources.

Homeschool Cooperative

A shared-resource model where families operate as home education programs under § 1002.41 and use your facility for cooperative learning.

Amounts, dates, thresholds and licensing status are left to the linked sources.

Certified Tutor Practice

A program operating under Florida's private tutoring statute (§ 1002.43). The tutor must hold a valid Florida teaching certificate for the subjects/grades taught. The tutor maintains attendance records and meets the § 1011.60(2) instructional-time minimums.

Amounts, dates, thresholds and licensing status are left to the linked sources.

Religious Community School

A congregation-connected model operating as a parochial, religious, or denominational school under § 1003.21(1) and § 1002.42. Same baseline requirements as Independent Private School — register with FLDOE, file annual database survey, maintain attendance records, comply with local zoning.

Amounts, dates, thresholds and licensing status are left to the linked sources.

Childcare Preschool Program

Center-based programs require full DCF licensing.

Amounts, dates, thresholds and licensing status are left to the linked sources.

Florida Department of Children and Families, Office of Child Care RegulationWho licenses this type

Hybrid University Model

Two ways to structure: (a) families register as home education programs under § 1002.41 (NOI, portfolio, annual evaluation) and your program is a co-op resource; or (b) families enroll in your program as a private school under § 1002.42 and you assume academic responsibility. The PEP option (Personalized Education Program ESA) creates a third hybrid pathway — families terminate home education registration and use PEP funds to pay for hybrid programs and other approved providers.

Amounts, dates, thresholds and licensing status are left to the linked sources.

Umbrella School Satellite

A satellite model operating under an established Florida private school's FLDOE registration. Useful for FES/FTC eligibility because the umbrella school's track record satisfies the financial-soundness requirement that newer schools struggle to meet.

Amounts, dates, thresholds and licensing status are left to the linked sources.

Check before you open

Could childcare rules apply to you?

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In Florida, childcare licensing is administered by Florida Department of Children and Families, Office of Child Care Regulation. The governing rules are cited as Fla. Stat. Chapter 402; rules administered by DCF Office of Child Care Regulation; HB 47 (effective July 1, 2025) renamed Family Day Care Homes to Family Child Care Homes..

Agency and rules:myflfamilies.com ↗myflfamilies.com ↗myflfamilies.com ↗

Common triggers. Not a complete list:

  • caring for children below the state's compulsory school age
  • parents drop off and leave
  • before- or after-school care, or full-day hours
  • care in a home rather than a school space
  • the number of unrelated children in your care

Childcare rules can reach school-age children as well as preschoolers, and a microschool that fits a pathway above can still fall under them. Only the agency can tell you whether your program needs a license. Ask them before you open, and confirm with your attorney.

For families

Funding programs

Looking for money to start a school?

Grants and loans that aren't tied to one state, each linked to the funder's own page.

See the national list →

The state programs that can pay toward tuition or expenses at a program like yours. Award amounts, eligibility rules and application windows change often, so plan from the program pages, not from this summary.

Education savings account

Personalized Education Program

Administered by Step Up For Students via the EMA platform

An ESA option administered by SFOs (primarily Step Up For Students) under the FTC umbrella for families who would otherwise homeschool. Funds flow to a PEP ESA managed by the SFO and may be used for online learning programs, private tutoring, instructional materials, therapies, community college costs, and other approved customized learning services.

Amounts, dates, thresholds and licensing status are left to the linked sources.

Award amounts, eligibility rules and application windows change often. Check the program pages before you plan tuition or enrollment around them.

Program pages:fldoe.org ↗stepupforstudents.org ↗hslda.org ↗stepupforstudents.org ↗stepupforstudents.org ↗

Education savings account

Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities

Administered by Step Up For Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation

Funds may be used for private school tuition, online learning, tutoring, therapies, instructional materials, college courses, and other approved services. Administered by Step Up For Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation.

Amounts, dates, thresholds and licensing status are left to the linked sources.

Award amounts, eligibility rules and application windows change often. Check the program pages before you plan tuition or enrollment around them.

Program pages:fldoe.org ↗stepupforstudents.org ↗specialneedsusa.com ↗stepupforstudents.org ↗stepupforstudents.org ↗

Voucher

Family Empowerment Scholarship—Educational Options

Administered by Approved SFOs

State voucher program (§ 1002.394) funded through the Florida Education Finance Plan (FEFP). Administered by Step Up For Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation.

Amounts, dates, thresholds and licensing status are left to the linked sources.

Award amounts, eligibility rules and application windows change often. Check the program pages before you plan tuition or enrollment around them.

Program pages:fldoe.org ↗fldoe.org ↗stepupforstudents.org ↗stepupforstudents.org ↗stepupforstudents.org ↗

Scholarship granting organization

Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit

Step Up For Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation are positioned to operate as approved SGOs.

Amounts, dates, thresholds and licensing status are left to the linked sources.

Award amounts, eligibility rules and application windows change often. Check the program pages before you plan tuition or enrollment around them.

Program pages:edchoice.org ↗

Calendar

Where to find Florida dates and deadlines

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We don't publish filing windows or due dates. A wrong date can cost a school year. These pages set them; check them directly, and again before you file.

Legislation

Law changes in Florida

Show

Bills the Florida legislature passed that touch microschools, learning pods or education savings accounts, each read before it is listed. The sections above describe the law as we last verified it; a law listed here may change them.

Our search found no enacted bills on microschools, learning pods or education savings accounts in Florida. A search can miss things, so this is not a statement that nothing changed.

Bill data from LegiScan LLC, CC BY 4.0. Updated Sep 26, 2026. Every law listed was read before it was listed. Read the act on the legislature's site before you rely on it.

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Verification

Sources

Every source this page draws on, split by who published it. Check which group a link is in, and who published it, before you rely on it.

Law and government publications (9)

Government-published — which is not the same as state-published. Most are this state's own code, regulations, agency and legislature pages. Others are federal, and some of those only SUMMARISE this state's rules rather than setting them; a few are city or county government. A summary of the law is not the law, and neither a federal nor a local page is a source of state obligation — so check who published any you rely on.

Supporting sources (19)

News coverage, program directories, advocacy and association publications. Useful context, and listed so you can see what this page drew on — but they are not the law and they are not the state speaking. This list is not mapped claim by claim, so if a specific fact matters to a decision, confirm it against a government source rather than assuming it came from one.

Explore nearby state guides

Founders often compare pathways, funding programs and operator types across nearby or high-demand states before choosing a launch path.

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Browse all 50 states and DC
General information only; not legal advice. The MicroSchool Lab is not a law firm. Consult a licensed attorney in Florida and the agencies linked above before opening a school. Sources last checked August 25, 2026.
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