Family Empowerment Scholarship at a glance
| FES-EO, 2026-27 |
|---|
| Amount | $7,463 to $12,217, by county and grade |
| Who qualifies | Any Florida K-12 student eligible for public school |
| Income limit | None; income sets priority |
| New student deadline | November 15, 2026 |
| Administrators | Step Up For Students or AAA Scholarship Foundation |
| Pays for | Private school tuition first, then other approved costs |
| Homeschool eligible | No (use PEP or FES-UA) |
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) is Florida's main private school voucher. It is open to every Florida student at any income, so the questions now are how much you get, when money arrives and what to do with any leftover balance.
Who qualifies for the Family Empowerment Scholarship?
Your child must live in Florida and be eligible to enroll in a Florida public school in kindergarten through 12th grade. There is no income cap and no requirement to have attended public school first.
Priority matters if funding runs short:
- Students renewing an FTC or FES-EO scholarship
- Households at or below 185% of the federal poverty level, or children in foster or out-of-home care
- Households from 186% to 400% of the poverty level
- Everyone else, including families who choose not to report income
For 2026-27, 185% of the poverty level is $61,050 for a family of four and 400% is $132,000. Each extra household member adds $10,508 to the first line and $22,720 to the second.
How much is the Family Empowerment Scholarship?
The Legislature sets amounts each year by county of residence and grade band. A few 2026-27 examples:
| County | K-3 | Grades 4-8 | Grades 9-12 |
|---|
| Miami-Dade | $8,745 | $8,140 | $7,942 |
| Broward | $8,494 | $7,896 | $7,701 |
| Hillsborough | $8,429 | $7,837 | $7,644 |
| Orange | $8,420 | $7,831 | $7,639 |
| Palm Beach | $8,890 | $8,288 | $8,091 |
| Duval | $8,409 | $7,821 | $7,629 |
| Monroe (highest) | $12,217 | $11,617 | $11,421 |
The lowest amount statewide is $7,463 (Volusia, grades 9-12). Find your county in the official award amounts PDF. If tuition is lower than the award, the rest stays in the student's account.
Key dates for 2026-27
- February 1, 2026: applications opened
- April 30, 2026: renewal deadline to keep top priority
- November 15, 2026: last day for new student applications
- Quarterly funding: Step Up receives state funds August 1 (renewals enrolled by June 15) or September 1, then November 1, February 1 and April 1. Deposits post within about two weeks.
- 2027-28: no dates yet; join the interest list to be notified
How to apply for FES-EO
- Create an EMA account with Step Up (or apply through AAA Scholarship Foundation's portal).
- Start one application and pick the FTC/FES-EO option. Add all your children first, because each family gets one application per program.
- Upload documents: a birth certificate or passport if your child is entering kindergarten or first grade, and two different proofs of Florida residency (for example, a utility bill and a driver's license).
- Add income documents if you want priority: pay stubs for adults 18 and older from the 30 days nearest your application date, plus other income. Form 1055-CW covers cash wages.
- E-sign the sworn compliance statement and submit. Save as draft if you need to come back.
- Enroll at a participating private school. Step Up confirms enrollment with the Florida Department of Education before each payment.
How FES-EO funding works
FES-EO money sits in an education savings account. Each quarter, the private school sends an invoice to your EMA account, and you approve it. You have 30 calendar days to approve a tuition and fee invoice, or it is deleted. Many payment delays come from missed approvals.
After tuition and required fees, leftover money can pay for curriculum and instructional materials, standardized test fees, private-pay Florida Virtual School courses, postsecondary or apprenticeship tuition, contracted public school services and an optional Choice Navigator. Leftover balances could go toward test prep like The Princeton Review, supplemental practice like IXL, or advanced math like Beast Academy. Check the current purchasing guide before buying, and save candidates to your Edulist wishlist.
Homeschoolers and FES-EO
FES-EO requires enrollment at an eligible private school, so homeschoolers do not use it. Home-based learners can apply for the PEP scholarship instead, and students with a qualifying diagnosis can homeschool on the Unique Abilities scholarship. See homeschooling in Florida for the rules.
SGOs and scholarship organizations for FES-EO
Two scholarship funding organizations run FES-EO: Step Up For Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation. You apply through one of them, not the school. To check whether a private school takes the scholarship, ask the school or look it up on the Step Up site.
Federal tax credit: has Florida opted in?
Yes. Florida is on the IRS list of participating states as of September 14, 2026. From January 1, 2027, donors can claim up to $1,700 for gifts to listed scholarship granting organizations serving Florida students, under Treasury's proposed rules. Learn more in the federal scholarship tax credit guide and the Florida donor guide.