What Is PEP? Florida's Personalized Education Program for Parents

Personalized Education Program (PEP) at a Glance

Who it is for: K-12 students in parent-directed education, outside district home education registration

The key rule: By August 15, withdraw from full-time school and end district home education registration

Published average: About $8,000 per student. An average published by Step Up, not a promise

Application window: February 1 to April 30, the shortest window of any program here

What Is PEP?

PEP is an education savings account program administered through the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship and run by Step Up For Students. Funds are credited to the student's account in four equal quarterly installments, and families spend them on approved education costs.

PEP exists for parent-directed education: learning the family directs itself, at home and in the community, rather than enrollment in a school. Families choose "Florida Home School" or "PEP Hybrid Private School" as the expected school type on the application.

The Rule Families Miss: PEP Is Not District Registration

To take part and receive funding, every PEP family must do two things by August 15 of the scholarship year: withdraw the student from full-time enrollment in a public or private school, and terminate the student's home education status with the school district.

That second step is the surprise. A student registered with the district as a home education student under Florida law is in a different program posture, and that registration has to end for PEP funding to flow. This is the mirror image of the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA), whose home education students must have a letter of intent filed with the district. One program asks the registration to end; the other asks for it to be on file.

While a student receives PEP funds, enrolling in a public school is prohibited, and the state checks enrollment before payments are sent.

Who Can Apply?

Florida resident students who are age 5 or older on or before September 1 of the application year, younger than 21 as of September 1, and able to enroll in grades K-12 in a Florida public school. There is no income requirement for PEP. Families moving to Florida on active-duty military orders have their own documentation path.

What Participation Involves Each Year

• Declare the student's grade level on the application. It drives eligibility and funding.
• Send Step Up a Student Learning Plan in EMA every year, by May 31. The plan must be submitted before the student can receive funding. It guides instruction, and it does not determine or limit what a family can purchase.
• Renewal students complete an annual assessment, a nationally norm-referenced test or the statewide assessment, and send the results to Step Up before renewing.

School Settings While on PEP

A PEP student may enroll part time at an eligible private school. Full-time private school enrollment is allowed only at an approved PEP hybrid eligible private school. Every other full-time school enrollment, public or private, sits outside this program.

How and When to Apply

Families apply in EMA, Step Up's online system. PEP has the shortest window of the programs on this site: for the 2026-2027 cycle, both new and renewal applications run February 1 to April 30, 2026.

The new student application window for the 2026-2027 school year has closed. For this cycle, new student applications opened on February 1, 2026 and closed on April 30, 2026. Step Up has not announced the next application window. Check stepupforstudents.org for the latest dates, or call Step Up at (877) 735-7837 to ask about the interest list and the next steps for your family.

The program also has a capacity limit. Step Up lists capacity of 140,000 students for the 2026-2027 school year, applications can close early when the limit is reached, and families who apply after closure join an interest list. Dependents of active-duty military members and students in foster care or out-of-home care can have an application opened outside the window by calling (877) 735-7837, although the capacity limit still applies.

How Much Is PEP, and How Do Families Spend It?

Step Up publishes an average of about $8,000 per student. That figure is an average, not a promise. The actual amount is set each year by the Florida Legislature and depends on grade level and county, and the first quarter amount locks in for the year even if grade level or county later changes.

Families spend three ways: direct billing for services through Find Providers on the EMA Marketplace, purchases through MyScholarShop, or paying out of pocket and requesting reimbursement. The PEP Purchasing Guide lists the eligible categories, which include instructional materials, curriculum, tutoring, electives, and technology.

What to Have Ready

• Proof that the child meets the age rules
• Proof of Florida residency
• The student's Social Security Number

When an Account Closes

The account closes, and remaining funds return to the state, on the same triggers as the other scholarship savings account programs, including when two consecutive fiscal years (July 1 to June 30) pass with no spending activity.

Questions Parents Ask

Not Sure Which Programs Fit Your Family?

Answer a few questions about where your child goes to school and what your child needs, and see which Step Up programs may fit. It takes about two minutes, and nothing you answer is saved or sent anywhere.

Check Your Child's Options