Scholarships for Private School or Public School Transportation Costs
Important Note: Any completed and eligible FTC/FES-EO applications submitted after December 15, 2023 will be considered as pre-registering for the 2024-25 school year.
Every Student Deserves A Choice
Step Up For Students supports Florida students and families in building a stronger future through personalized education. Our scholarships open doors with private school tuition assistance, help cover the cost of traveling to a different public school, and more through an education savings account.
Scholarships for Private Schools
The scholarship can be used for tuition along with other related expenses such as registration, books, testing, and other fees.
Scholarships for Public School Transportation
Scholarships for PEP Program
Private School and Transportation Scholarship Parent Handbooks
Who Is Eligible?
Priority will be given to families whose household income is 400% of poverty or below as outlined in the income priority guidelines or who meet the following criteria:
- Renewing students of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship and/or Family Empowerment Scholarship
- Children in foster care or out-of-home care
- Homeless children
How Does It Work?
Apply for the scholarship through Step Up For Students. If approved, choose between a private school, transportation, or a personalized education.
Scholarships vary by county and grade but are worth an average of $7,800. Once awarded a scholarship, work with your selected participating private school to enroll your student through the Step Up For Students EMA platform. You will be notified when it is time to log into your account to approve scholarship funds to be issued directly to your school electronically.
The scholarship awards will first pay for tuition and fees at eligible private schools. Remaining funds can be accessed through an education savings account (ESA) and used to pay for:
- Instructional material
- Curriculum
- Tuition for full-time or part-time education at an eligible postsecondary educational institution or approved apprenticeship program
- Fees for nationally standardized norm-referenced tests and other assessments
- Contracted services provided by a public school or school district
- An approved online course
- Tuition as a private pay student at Florida Virtual School,
- Fees for a “Choice Navigator,” which is an optional service provider intended to help guide parents through the myriad of choices that will become available to them through their ESA.
Transportation scholarships are worth at least $750 and help with the cost of attending a public school other than the one to which a student has been assigned.
Once awarded a scholarship, please follow the instructions on your award letter to notify us that you will be using the transportation scholarship option. Families will be required to provide a report card or progress report quarterly to confirm the student’s attendance and receive payment that is sent directly to families.
Florida students who are not full-time private or public school students can access the Personalized Education Program (PEP) through the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. This scholarship provides an educational savings account (ESA) to fund the educational needs of eligible students.
Helpful Documents
Stepping Up To Success
Video Library
2023-2024 | ||
| Persons in family/household | Priority 1 up to 185% | Priority 2 185%-400% |
| 1 | Up to $26,973 | Up to $58,320 |
| 2 | $36,482 | $78,880 |
| 3 | $45,991 | $99,440 |
| 4 | $55,500 | $120,000 |
| 5 | $65,009 | $140,560 |
| 6 | $74,518 | $161,120 |
| 7 | $84,027 | $181,680 |
| 8 | $93,536 | $202,240 |
| 9 | $103,045 | $222,800 |
| 10 | $112,554 | $243,360 |
| 11 | $122,063 | $263,920 |
| Each additional member +$9,509 | Each additional member +$20,560 | |
| Based on guidelines published by the Department of Health & Human Services in National Registry on January 2023 | ||