Connecticut vs Florida: Homeschool Laws Compared

Florida is the more regulated of the two: it requires notice and a periodic assessment, while Connecticut requires no notice to homeschool. They differ on 7 of the 9 rules compared: notice of intent, required subjects, testing or evaluation, the portfolio, compulsory school ages, ESA funding, and public school sports access.

Rules compared

9

Differences

7

Same in both

2

The rules, side by side

Rows where the two states differ are marked. Tap a state name for its full guide, deadlines, and sources.

Figures are the same verified compliance data shown on each state's page. Requirements change; confirm with your state before you rely on one.

Moving from Connecticut to Florida

Once you are a Florida resident you homeschool under Florida's rules. These are the ones that change.

1. File a notice of intent with the local school district once you are a Florida resident. Connecticut did not ask for one, so this is new paperwork.
2. Florida names no required subjects. Connecticut's list is still a sensible course plan; it stops being a legal one.
3. Florida requires parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation), annually. Connecticut had no assessment rule, so plan for it in your first year.
4. Keep a portfolio of dated work samples: Florida requires one and Connecticut did not.
5. Compulsory school ages are 6-16 in Florida against 5-18 in Connecticut, so check whether your youngest or oldest is now inside or outside the rule.
6. Florida runs Florida Tax Credit Scholarship: Personalized Education Program (FTC-PEP). Check whether your family qualifies; Connecticut had no comparable program.
7. Can homeschoolers play public school sports? In Florida the answer is yes; in Connecticut it was district decides.

Moving from Florida to Connecticut

Once you are a Connecticut resident you homeschool under Connecticut's rules. These are the ones that change.

1. There is no notice to file in Connecticut. Before you leave, send Florida's district a short withdrawal note so its attendance record closes.
2. Connecticut names 8 required subjects (reading, writing, spelling, english grammar, geography, arithmetic, united states history, citizenship). Tag activities to them so a gap shows before the year ends.
3. Connecticut requires no testing or evaluation. Keep Florida's past results with your records; colleges may still ask for them.
4. Connecticut does not require a portfolio. Bring Florida's with you anyway; it is your proof of progress if a question ever comes up.
5. Compulsory school ages are 5-18 in Connecticut against 6-16 in Florida, so check whether your youngest or oldest is now inside or outside the rule.
6. Connecticut has no ESA program. Florida's Florida Tax Credit Scholarship: Personalized Education Program (FTC-PEP) is for Florida residents, so budget without it.
7. Can homeschoolers play public school sports? In Connecticut the answer is district decides; in Florida it was yes.

What stays the same

Connecticut and Florida match on hours or days per year and progress reports. Your habits on those carry over unchanged.

Do your records transfer?

Neither Connecticut nor Florida takes homeschool records from another state, and there is no transfer process between them. You keep your own: the hours or attendance log, work samples, and any grades or transcripts. Those are what the new state, and later a college, may ask to see. Homeschool Fox keeps them in one account that moves with your family.

Keep comparing

• Alabama vs Florida 4 rules differ
• California vs Florida 8 rules differ
• Colorado vs Florida 7 rules differ
• Connecticut vs Massachusetts 4 rules differ
• Connecticut vs New York 6 rules differ
• Connecticut vs Rhode Island 6 rules differ
• Florida vs Georgia 6 rules differ
• Florida vs Illinois 7 rules differ
• Florida vs Maryland 5 rules differ
• Florida vs Massachusetts 4 rules differ
• Florida vs Michigan 7 rules differ
• Florida vs Minnesota 6 rules differ
• Florida vs New Jersey 5 rules differ
• Florida vs New York 6 rules differ
• Florida vs North Carolina 5 rules differ
• Florida vs Ohio 4 rules differ
• Florida vs Pennsylvania 5 rules differ
• Florida vs Tennessee 5 rules differ
• Florida vs Texas 6 rules differ
• States That Require a Homeschool Notice of Intent All 36 states in one table
• Required Homeschool Subjects by State All 34 states in one table
• States That Require Homeschool Testing or Evaluation All 19 states in one table
• States That Require a Homeschool Portfolio All 6 states in one table