How to Start Homeschooling in Florida

Required hours

No state minimum

Required subjects

Your choice

Notice

Required

Testing / evaluation

Parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation)

Portfolio

Required

Jump to the full Florida requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.

Step by step

1. 1

   Understand Florida's homeschool law

   Florida has light but formal homeschool requirements with no mandated hour or day minimums, and you'll file notice with your local school district.

2. 2

   Withdraw from public school (if enrolled)

   To withdraw your child from public school in Florida, send a written withdrawal letter to the principal or registrar, then file a notice of intent with your local school district so the transition is on record before instruction begins. Rather than hand-writing the withdrawal letter, Homeschool Fox produces a pre-formatted PDF ready to send to the district.

3. 3

   File your notice of intent

   Yes, Florida requires you to file notice of your intent to homeschool. You must notify your local school district.

4. 4

   Plan your subjects

   Florida does not mandate specific subjects. Families have complete flexibility in designing their curriculum and choosing what to teach.

5. 5

   Set your hours or days target

   Florida does not mandate a specific number of instructional hours. Families have flexibility in determining their own schedule and pace of learning.

6. 6

   Plan for assessment and records

   Florida requires one annual evaluation filed with the superintendent. Families pick from five options: a certified teacher's portfolio review, a nationally normed test, the state assessment, an evaluation by a licensed psychologist, or another measure agreed to with the district. Florida law (§ 1002.41) requires a portfolio containing a contemporaneous log of educational activities — listing reading materials by title — plus samples of the student's writings, worksheets, and creative work. Keep it for two years; the superintendent can request it with 15 days' written notice.

7. 7

   Track your hours and keep records

   Log activities as they happen so hours, attendance, and subject coverage build up automatically. Homeschool Fox lets you log from your phone or by voice and generates a Florida-specific compliance report when you need it.

Free tool

Calculate your homeschool pace

Florida doesn't mandate a minimum. Use 900 hours/year as a general guide to stay on pace.

What Homeschool Fox tracks for Florida

Everything Florida expects you to keep, in one place — no spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

• Required hours or days
• Required subjects & core hours
• Daily activity logs
• Attendance records
• Notes & portfolio records
• Printable PDF reports
• High school transcripts
• State-specific progress tracking

More Florida guides

• Florida Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• Homeschooling High School in Florida Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
• Record Keeping in Florida What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.
• ESA & School Choice in Florida Funding amounts, who qualifies, and the trade-offs.