Home Education by the Numbers: Data from Florida Department of Education
As your statewide association, we meet periodically with personnel from the Florida Department of Education (DOE) and with representatives from district superintendent's offices all around the state. This summer, we participated in several meetings during the month of July, gathering with key personnel from the Florida Department of Education, Superintendents and Homeschool Liaisons from all across the state.
As the result of these meetings, we can now report the accurate Florida home education headcount for 2023-24. This total, computed annually at the conclusion of the district academic year, represents the number of students in Florida home education; that is, under Florida Statute 1002.41 using the notice of intent.
As you can see, Florida home education increased again this year. Here is a year over year comparison:
Current year 2023-24: 155,532 students, 114,239 families
Previous year 2022-23: 154,289 students, 114,258 families
Keep in mind these numbers only include students in home education programs. As the result, students enrolled in Florida private (umbrella) schools and those enrolled in PEP programs through an SFO are not included in these headcounts.
We know there were 20,000 students in PEP programs this year and anticipate another 40,000 PEP students will be added this fall. We also know that many families are using funding for private school enrollment and other methods. That said, we can confidently estimate the number of Florida "homeschoolers" to be significantly greater.
To view home education data from around the state, view the full Department of Education reports for previous years, which track numbers on a county by county basis, highlighting other facts and figures about home education, too.
The Florida Homeschool Association will continue working with DOE and districts on your behalf throughout the year. As partners, we continue to advocate for the most successful educational experience possible for every Florida student, whether notice of intent home education or alternates that best suit individual learners.