Florida Home Education Program: Notice, Portfolio, and Evaluation

To run a home education program in Florida, a parent must do three things under Florida Statute 1002.41: file a written notice of intent with the district superintendent within 30 days of starting, maintain a portfolio of educational records throughout the year, and arrange an annual evaluation of the child’s progress.¹ Meeting the requirements of Florida’s home education program is straightforward once you understand the timeline and what belongs in your records.

The compulsory attendance law applies to children who have turned 6 (or will turn 6 by February 1 of the school year) and have not yet turned 16.² You can operate a home education program outside that window, but the state’s mandatory schooling requirement itself only covers those ages.

Filing the Notice of Intent

Send a written notice to the superintendent of the district where you live. It must contain the full legal name, address, and date of birth of every child you plan to enroll, and it must be signed by the parent or legal guardian.¹ The notice has to reach the superintendent’s office within 30 days of the day you begin the program.³

Most districts post a template on their website, but a plain letter with the required information works. Certified mail with a return receipt gives you proof of the filing date. Many counties also accept electronic submissions.

What Happens After You File

Once the superintendent receives your notice, the district must accept it and immediately register your home education program. The district cannot demand additional information or verification unless your child wants to participate in a district program or service. The superintendent cannot assign a grade level to your child or add a Social Security number to any district or state database unless your child opts into a district-offered program.⁴

There is no approval process. Registration is automatic on receipt of a compliant notice, and the district’s role is record-keeping rather than oversight of your curriculum or teaching methods.

Keeping the Portfolio

Throughout the school year, you must maintain a portfolio of records and materials documenting your child’s education.¹ Two components are required:

An activity log written as instruction happens, not reconstructed later. The log must list by title any reading materials your child uses during instruction.¹
Work samples the child produces during the course of study, including writings, worksheets, workbooks, and creative materials.¹

The reading-materials rule is where families sometimes slip. If your child reads a novel as part of a literature unit, the title needs to appear in the log entry for that period. You do not have to catalog every book a child picks up on their own, but instructional reading should be named in your records.

Organize the portfolio chronologically or by subject to make progression easy to show. Physical binder or digital folder both work, but the portfolio must be producible within 15 days if the superintendent requests an inspection.¹ These requests are uncommon, but keeping the portfolio organized at all times is the simplest safeguard.

Records must be preserved for two years even after the program ends.¹

The Annual Evaluation

Each year, you must arrange an evaluation showing that your child is making educational progress appropriate to their ability and file a copy with the superintendent.¹ You choose from five methods:

Portfolio review by a teacher holding a valid Florida professional teaching certificate, who discusses the work with your child and writes a statement about progress.¹
A nationally normed achievement test such as the Stanford Achievement Test, Iowa Assessments, or TerraNova, administered by a certified teacher.¹
The same state assessments given to public school students, at no cost to you.
An evaluation by a psychologist licensed under Florida law.¹
Any other valid evaluation method you and the superintendent agree on in advance.¹

Most districts expect the evaluation by the anniversary of your original registration date. File on September 1, and your first evaluation is due by September 1 of the following year.

The standard the evaluation must show is progress relative to your child’s individual ability. A child with a learning difference who improves at a pace appropriate to their capabilities meets this standard even when performing below traditional grade level. Growth is measured against ability, not against a fixed benchmark.

If the Evaluation Doesn’t Show Adequate Progress

When an annual evaluation fails to demonstrate appropriate progress, the superintendent sends written notification identifying the deficiency. You then have a one-year probationary period from the date you receive that notice to provide remedial instruction. At the end of the probationary year, the child must be reevaluated using one of the five methods above, and continuing the program depends on that reevaluation showing adequate progress.⁵

Thorough documentation matters most here. A well-maintained portfolio with detailed contemporaneous logs builds a far stronger case than sparse records assembled at evaluation time, and evaluators can see effort and direction even when raw scores are low.

Withdrawing a Child With Attendance Problems

Families pulling a child out of public school after attendance issues face extra scrutiny. If the student has an established pattern of nonattendance, the parent must submit the portfolio to a home education review committee every 30 days until the committee confirms compliance. The first review has to happen within the first 30 calendar days of starting the program.⁶

Once the committee is satisfied that real instruction is happening, the family shifts to the standard annual evaluation cycle. Under this provision, a structured daily schedule and a detailed activity log from day one are essential.

Ending the Program

When the program concludes, whether because your child graduates, enrolls in a school, or the family stops homeschooling for another reason, you must file a written termination notice with the superintendent within 30 days. Submit it along with the most recent annual evaluation.¹

After termination, your portfolio must remain available for inspection for two years in case the superintendent requests a review.¹ Hold onto the records through that full window even if it feels like dead weight.

Issuing a Diploma

For high school graduates, the parent issues the diploma. Florida does not provide a state-issued diploma for home education students, and home education programs are not accredited by the state. As the educational director, you decide when your child has met the graduation requirements you have established and you issue the diploma yourself. Some families buy or print a formal certificate, but there is no required format. Colleges and employers generally accept parent-issued diplomas from compliant home education programs, though individual institutions may ask for transcripts or test scores.

1
Florida Senate. Florida Code 1002.41 – Home Education Programs
2
Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 1003.21 – School Attendance
3
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes Chapter 1002 Section 41 – Home Education Programs
4
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes Chapter 1002 Section 41 – Home Education Programs
5
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes Chapter 1002 Section 41 – Home Education Programs
6
Florida Department of Education. Home Education Parent FAQs