Homeschooling a Child With Autism or ADHD in Florida

What Florida asks of a homeschool family

These are the homeschool rules we have on file for Florida, last verified 2026-08. Our Florida page has the full list, with sources.

Getting started (notice)

written notice of intent to the district school superintendent of your county within 30 days of starting the home education program (child's full name, address, birthdate); a written notice of termination plus a final evaluation is due within 30 days of ending the program. Alternatives: enrolling in an 'umbrella' private school or using the Personalized Education Program (PEP) scholarship instead of the home education statute.

Records you must keep

a portfolio: a log of educational activities plus samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks, and creative materials; kept for 2 years and made available to the superintendent on 15 days' written notice

Testing / evaluation

annual educational evaluation filed with the district, with five options: evaluation by a Florida-certified teacher, a nationally normed test given by a certified teacher, a state assessment, evaluation by a licensed psychologist, or another mutually agreed measurement tool

Special education and your homeschooled child in Florida

We researched this from Florida's statutes and administrative code, the state education department and the US Department of Education, last checked October 2026. Where a source was missing, old or in conflict, the line says so instead of guessing. Federal law (IDEA) gives a child placed in private school by a parent no individual right to services, only a share of the district's equitable-services funds, and each state decides how a home school is counted.

How the state counts a home school

Its own category, not a private school

Florida law (F.S. 1002.01(3)) says the definition of a private school does not include home education programs under s. 1002.41, and 1002.41 treats home education as its own program that is not a school district program.

Asking for an evaluation

State Board rule 6A-6.0331(8)(h) addresses evaluation of students who are home schooled and says a district may not override a parent who does not consent. The sources found do not say that a district must act on a homeschool parent's request, and the private school child find rule (6A-6.030281) is written for private schools, so whether and which district must respond is not clear in primary sources.

Less certain: the sources on this were thin or in conflict. Confirm with the state office before relying on it.

Services and IEPs

Florida's equitable services rule (6A-6.030281) covers students enrolled by parents in private schools, which by statute excludes home education. F.S. 1002.41(10) says a district may provide exceptional student education related services to a home education student with a disability who enrolls in a public school solely to receive them, so services are at district discretion. Whether an existing IEP continues after withdrawal was not found in primary sources.

Part-time classes, therapies and activities at the public school

F.S. 1002.41 lets home education students take part in interscholastic extracurricular activities (s. 1006.15) and dual enrollment at colleges (s. 1007.27), and subsection (10) allows a district to serve a home education student with a disability who enrolls solely for related services. Diagnostic and resource center testing is also available to home education students, including students with disabilities (1002.41(9)).

Scholarships and funding for a child with a disability

The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (F.S. 1002.394(3)(b)) is open to a student with a qualifying disability who has an IEP or a physician or psychologist diagnosis, and funds may pay for curriculum, specialized therapies and tuition and fees for a home education program. F.S. 1002.395 also defines a personalized education program, a parent-directed option for students registered with a scholarship-funding organization, which was not reviewed in detail for disability eligibility.

Also worth knowing

Rule 6A-6.0331 was last effective 9/23/2025 and 2025 statutes were used, so these are current as of this check. The department's web pages could not be read, so the contact link is the official page address but was not opened, while the bureau name was confirmed from the rule text.

State office to ask: Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services.

Sources we read

A plain-language summary of public sources, not legal advice. Scholarship and school-choice programs change often, and we have left dollar amounts out on purpose. Confirm current rules with the state office before you act.

Pace, testing and the plan

Check the testing and evaluation line above for Florida, since it can depend on how you homeschool. Where a test or an evaluation applies, remember that Learning Supports change how lessons look and feel while your child learns. They are not part of a test or an evaluation. Whether a child can be given accommodations on the test, or with the evaluator, is something to ask the test provider or evaluator before the day, and we cannot tell you what Florida allows.

Records in Florida

Check the records line above for Florida. Letters & Devotion logs instructional hours automatically while your child works, tracks mastery per skill as a ready-made portfolio record, and prints a transcript in one click. Turning supports on or off does not change that record, and nothing in it names a condition, because Letters & Devotion never stores a diagnosis.

Six Learning Supports you can switch on

A parent ticks what helps, never a condition. Each support is a bundle of single switches, and any switch can be changed on its own. After about three weeks the parent side asks whether a support is helping.

Reading support
Often chosen for dyslexia
Read-aloud with each word highlighted, a clearer font, extra spacing and answer buttons.
Focus support
Often chosen for ADHD
Short pieces, one question on screen and movement breaks.
Predictable routine
Often chosen for autism
The same layout, a heads-up before changes, a calm look and plain wording.
Math support
Often chosen for dyscalculia
Pictures and a calculator, with nothing timed.
Writing support
Often chosen for dysgraphia
Answer out loud, with ideas counted over spelling.
Low-pressure mode
Often chosen for anxiety or perfectionism
No scores, calm feedback and a free second try.

What this is not

It does not diagnose anything or store a diagnosis. Your child never sees a condition name.
It is not special education, therapy or an evaluation, and it is not a substitute for an IEP.
Read-aloud is a computer voice, not a person, and answering out loud needs the microphone switch.
Some lesson rewrites, such as plainer literal wording, are pre-written, so not every lesson has one.

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Questions

Can I homeschool a child with autism or ADHD in Florida?

Florida's homeschool rules are summarized on this page. On special education: Florida law (F.S. 1002.01(3)) says the definition of a private school does not include home education programs under s. 1002.41, and 1002.41 treats home education as its own program that is not a school district program.

Does Letters & Devotion store my child’s diagnosis?

No. You pick supports, never a condition, nothing stores a diagnosis, and your child never sees a condition name. Support settings are never sent to analytics.

Does this replace an evaluation or an IEP?

No. The setup screen says it plainly: these change how lessons look and feel, and they are not a substitute for an evaluation or an IEP.

Do the supports work with Florida's testing rules?