Florida vs New Jersey: Homeschool Laws Compared

Florida is the more regulated of the two: it requires notice and a periodic assessment, while New Jersey requires no notice to homeschool. They differ on 5 of the 9 rules compared: notice of intent, testing or evaluation, the portfolio, ESA funding, and public school sports access.

Rules compared

9

Differences

5

Same in both

4

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 Florida to New Jersey

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

1. There is no notice to file in New Jersey. Before you leave, send Florida's district a short withdrawal note so its attendance record closes.
2. New Jersey requires no testing or evaluation. Keep Florida's past results with your records; colleges may still ask for them.
3. New Jersey does not require a portfolio. Bring Florida's with you anyway; it is your proof of progress if a question ever comes up.
4. New Jersey has no ESA program. Florida's Florida Tax Credit Scholarship: Personalized Education Program (FTC-PEP) is for Florida residents, so budget without it.
5. Can homeschoolers play public school sports? In New Jersey the answer is district decides; in Florida it was yes.

Moving from New Jersey 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. New Jersey did not ask for one, so this is new paperwork.
2. Florida requires parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation), annually. New Jersey had no assessment rule, so plan for it in your first year.
3. Keep a portfolio of dated work samples: Florida requires one and New Jersey did not.
4. Florida runs Florida Tax Credit Scholarship: Personalized Education Program (FTC-PEP). Check whether your family qualifies; New Jersey had no comparable program.
5. Can homeschoolers play public school sports? In Florida the answer is yes; in New Jersey it was district decides.

What stays the same

Florida and New Jersey match on hours or days per year, required subjects, progress reports, and compulsory school ages. Your habits on those carry over unchanged.

Do your records transfer?

Neither Florida nor New Jersey 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 Florida 7 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 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
• New Jersey vs New York 5 rules differ
• New Jersey vs North Carolina 4 rules differ
• New Jersey vs Pennsylvania 7 rules differ
• States That Require a Homeschool Notice of Intent All 36 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