Children who will be six years of age by February 1 of the school year and who have not reached the age of 16 are required to attend school. Under Florida education law, children who are taught under the Home Education law are exempt from this requirement.
There are no required subjects for Florida homeschoolers, but most teach the basics--reading, writing, math, science, fine arts, health, civics, history and physical education.
Option 1
Homeschools can operate under the Home Education law, and per the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) website, a home education program under Florida law is \"sequentially progressive instruction of a student by his parent of guardian.\" Parents must notify the county superintendent within 30 days of beginning their homeschooling program with the names, addresses and birth dates of their homeschooled children. They must also maintain a portfolio of their children's work to be made available within 15 days if the county superintendent requests this information in writing.
Option 2
A group of home schools can operate as a private home school but a single home school is not a private home school. By doing this, students are considered to be in attendance at classroom sites located in each home. Each home is considered to be a satellite campus of the larger school.
Option 3
The private tutor law is yet another homeschooling option. An adult may teach a child if the adult has teacher certification in the grade levels he or she is teaching, keeps all records required by the district school board and requires students to be in attendance for 180 school days or the equivalent number of hours.
There are no teacher requirements for parents, and standardized tests or an alternate method of evaluation is required for those homeschooling under Option 1, the Home Education law. Annually, you, as a parent, have the following testing and/or assessment options:
1) have your child's educational progress evaluated by a teacher (of your choosing) with Florida teacher certification credentials
GO
2) have your child take a national achievement test proctored by a certified teacher
GO
3) have your child take a state student assessment under district approved conditions
GO
4) have your child evaluated by a licensed psychologist; or
5) have your child evaluated by some other measuring tool mutually agreed upon by you and the school district.
Free exercise of your religion is protected, and you are legally allowed to homeschool under Florida Statute 761.01, the Religious Freedom Act.