PEP and homeschooling in Florida: two separate options.

• PEP is not Florida’s home education program. Florida law defines them separately. PEP students are registered with a Scholarship Funding Organization (Step Up for Students), and home education students are registered with their school district. (Wondering who pays for PEP, or whether it’s income based? See is Florida PEP free.)
• You can’t do both at once. Florida Statute 1002.395 says a student is not eligible for the scholarship while participating in a home education program.
• No letter of intent for PEP. Step Up’s handbook says PEP families don’t need to file one with the district.
• Different yearly requirements. PEP families submit a Student Learning Plan and a norm-referenced test score to Step Up. Home education families file an annual evaluation with the district.
• Same opportunities. The law gives PEP students the same flexibility and opportunities as home education students under s. 1002.41(3)-(12), including dual enrollment and Bright Futures.

Florida Statute 1002.01 defines the two side by side:

• A home education program is “the sequentially progressive instruction of a student directed by his or her parent” to satisfy the state’s attendance requirements, including s. 1002.41.
• A personalized education program (PEP) is the same kind of parent-directed instruction, but “while registered with an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization pursuant to s. 1002.395.”

The scholarship law, s. 1002.395, then lists situations where a student is not eligible for the scholarship. One of them is “participating in a home education program as defined in s. 1002.01(1).”

So day to day, both can look like learning at home with a parent in charge. On paper, a PEP student is a scholarship student registered with Step Up, not a home education student registered with the district.

Sources: Step Up’s PEP Family Handbook, and Fla. Stat. 1002.41(1).

Step Up’s handbook also says the Student Learning Plan “does not determine or limit what the parent or guardian can purchase with scholarship funds.” For 2026–27, it had to be submitted in EMA by May 31, 2026, and must stay complete for each funding cycle. (For what PEP funds can pay for, see the PEP purchase guide.)

One wording trap: PEP funds can pay tuition for a home education instructional program. The handbook notes that, for the scholarship, this is “different than a home education program as defined in Florida Statute 1002.01(1).”

Step Up’s handbook says that if your student’s PEP scholarship choice is confirmed and the student was previously in a home education program, you must end the home education status with the school district. Under s. 1002.41, a home education parent files a written notice of termination, along with the annual evaluation, within 30 days of termination. Step Up’s FAQ links a sample Home Education Termination Letter.

Step Up’s pages use two different trigger points for when to do this, so read both:

• The handbook, and the FAQ answer on notifying the district, say to end home education status once the PEP scholarship choice is confirmed.
• Other FAQ answers say to withdraw from home education once your PEP scholarship is funded, and ask families not to withdraw from home education “if you have not been funded, or do not wish to use, a PEP scholarship.”

Step Up’s FAQ also explains that “Scholarship Choice Confirmed” does not mean the student has been funded. And it warns that a child “could be found truant” if the family doesn’t complete a home education evaluation and doesn’t receive a funded PEP scholarship, so it says new PEP students should complete the home education evaluation as a precaution.

If the timing isn’t clear for your family, ask Step Up before you send anything to the district. The Customer Engagement Center is at (877) 735-7837.

Step Up’s FAQ says you may withdraw from PEP at any time by selecting Decline in EMA. Then:

• If you already withdrew from home education: you’ll need to send a new letter of intent to your school district to reestablish your home education program.
• If you never withdrew from home education: declining PEP ends your PEP enrollment, and your home education program stays in place.

Florida Statute 1002.01 says a personalized education student “shall be provided the same flexibility and opportunities as provided in s. 1002.41(3)-(12).” Those subsections cover:

• No requirement to meet the length of a school day
• Interscholastic extracurricular activities
• The Bright Futures Scholarship Program
• Dual enrollment programs
• Admission to Florida College System institutions and state universities
• Testing and evaluation at diagnostic and resource centers
• Exceptional student education-related services and career and technical courses a school district may provide
• Industry certifications and statewide assessments offered by the school district

Step Up’s FAQ adds that PEP students are still eligible for free dual enrollment programs and won’t be required to pay for those courses from their PEP account. The handbook says a PEP student taking dual enrollment as part of a personalized education plan needs a home education articulation agreement with the college, which “will outline the costs to be covered.”

For other dates this school year, including the new public school attestation, see what’s new for PEP in 2026–27. To keep reimbursement requests moving, see the Florida PEP reimbursement guide.