New Student Enrollment

If your child is not enrolled in any Florida home education program, public school, or private school, then you do not need to notify anyone of your educational choice to enroll your child in our school. There is no statute requiring parents to inform the district of their child who may attend a private school.

Students enrolled at Aspiring Heights Academy are private school students–not homeschool students as defined in s. 1002.41. You do not need to send a notice of intent to establish a home education program to your district school superintendent if you enroll your child in our school.

If your children are currently enrolled in a public school, then you will need to formally withdraw them. Your district school will ask where your children are going so that they can assign the appropriate withdrawal code. Specify that your children are (or will be) enrolled in a private school, not a home education program. If you would like us to verify your children's enrollment at AHA with their former school, include a notification form with your enrollment documents.

Some schools prefer that parents withdraw their children before enrolling them into another school, some schools prefer that parents withdraw their children after enrolling them into another school, and some schools don't have a preference. In any case, be sure to formally withdraw your child in a timely manner to avoid any potential truancy issues. (See Florida Statute 1003.26)

If your child is currently enrolled in another private school, you will need to formally withdraw your child from the other school. Your school may have a particular policy regarding this, but you should only need to provide them with something in writing stating that you are withdrawing your child. If you would like us to notify your child's previous school of their enrollment at AHA, include a notification form with your enrollment documents.

If you sent your district school superintendent a notice of intent to establish a home education program, then you must send them a termination notice, along with your child's annual evaluation, within 30 days of your child's enrollment at Aspiring Heights Academy. Your district school may have a form you can download, or you can download a termination notice here. (The requirement to include your child's annual evaluation with your termination notice was added to s. 1002.41(1)(c) in 2018.)

No. Our High School Diploma Program is optional.

Yes, but students must complete a minimum of one full semester with us and must be enrolled prior to age 20. If you're unsure of your child's high school plans, you're welcome to wait. We recommend you follow our graduation requirements in the meantime. Student must meet our eligibility requirements to be accepted into the program.

No. Our students are not required to take Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) or Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) assessments, including End-of-Course (EOC) assessments. Students may want to take EOC assessments to earn credit for a course without having to take the course or if they may enter or return to public school.

We will only need transcripts if your child is enrolled in our academic or diploma program.

Students enrolled in our High School Diploma Program who meet our graduation requirements will receive a high school diploma.

If your child is in grades 6–12, is enrolled in our Academic Program or High School Diploma Program, and meets the eligibility requirements for initial enrollment in college credit dual enrollment courses, they may be able to participate in Florida's dual enrollment program.

We maintain and provide transcripts for students enrolled in our academic and diploma programs. Students taking courses at FLVS are able to access their transcripts directly from FLVS.

We do not require any specific high school curriculum. If your high school student is enrolled in our diploma program, however, coursework must be documented in accordance with our diploma program policies.

No school can guarantee college acceptance. Many postsecondary institutions require applicants who complete a home education program or graduate from a non-accredited high school to submit portfolios and transcripts from their originating sources to be considered for admission. Additionally, the acceptance of diplomas and transcripts from private schools (whether accredited or not) is subject to the requirements of the receiving institution. If you will be enrolling your high school student into our diploma program, we encourage you to reach out to colleges your student is considering attending to ensure they will be accepted for admission. See our High School Diploma Program page for more information.

If you will not be enrolling your high school student into our diploma program, keep in mind that students enrolled at Aspiring Heights Academy are private school students, not home educated as defined in s. 1002.41. Some colleges require students applying as home educated to provide district verification that they completed a home education program. Some colleges accept students who complete high school under an umbrella school without earning a high school diploma as home educated; some require the student to present a GED. We encourage you to reach out to prospective colleges to find out what their admission requirements are.

Provided specific scholarship eligibility requirements are met, students graduating with an Aspiring Heights Academy diploma are eligible for Bright Futures Scholarships.

We need the following:

• A photocopy of your child's birth certificate;
• A school-entry health exam dated within one year before enrollment in school;
• A Florida immunization certificate if it is not on file with the Immunization Registry;
• Proof of residency if your child will be enrolling in courses at FLVS; and
• An enrollment form.

Please read through these FAQs and our New Student Enrollment page for more information.

If you do not have your child's birth certificate, we will accept one of the following:

• A duly attested transcript of a certificate of baptism showing the date of birth and place of baptism of your child, accompanied by an affidavit sworn to by you;
• An insurance policy on your child’s life that has been in force for at least 2 years;
• A bona fide contemporary religious record of your child’s birth accompanied by an affidavit sworn to by you; or
• A passport or certificate of arrival in the United States showing the age of your child.

If you do not have any of the above, and your child was born in Florida, you can request your child's birth record from the Florida Department of Health. If your child was born in a different state, you can find out where to write for vital records at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

We can request a copy of your child's birth certificate from your child's former school with your signed authorization. You must provide your child's birth certificate for Kindergarten entrance.

You should be able to obtain copies from your children's physician. We can also request copies from their former school with your signed authorization. If we do not receive copies from their former school within 15 days, then it will be your responsibility to present them to us. You must present certification of recent school-entry health examinations within 30 days of their enrollment to be in compliance with Florida law. We can accept Form DH 3040, School Entry Health Exam or a signed statement by an authorized professional that indicates the results of the components included in the health examination.

Yes, but please note that you must present certification of a school-entry health exam within 30 days of enrollment to be in compliance with Florida law. We can accept Form DH 3040, School Entry Health Exam or a signed statement by an authorized professional that indicates the results of the components included in the health examination.

If your child recently had a school entry health examination, the results would be included on your child's Certificate of School Entry Health Examination (postural assessment) form. If your child is screened separately, then the results will be documented on some other health record. We will accept any health record provided the screening was performed for 6th grade entrance or while enrolled in 6th grade and the document shows your child's name and the date of examination. Scoliosis screenings are only required for students in 6th grade.

Florida Statute 1003.22 requires that each child has a certification of immunization on file with the immunization registry. If your child has been excluded from participation in the immunization registry, you must present your child's immunization certificate. Florida physicians and county health departments issue Form DH 680, Certification of Immunization. No other immunization records can be accepted.

If your child is entering 7^th grade, and your child has been excluded from the immunization registry, we will need an updated Form DH Form 680 indicating that immunizations are complete for 7^th grade entry.

If the administration of immunizing agents conflicts with your religious tenets or practices, you may request religious exemption (DH Form 681 or objection in writing). County health departments issue Form DH 681, Religious Exemption From Immunization.

Please read our article on vaccines and immunizations for more information.

If you recently moved to Florida from another state, you must have your child's vaccination history transferred to Florida's Form DH 680, Certification of Immunization. This form is completed by Florida county health departments and private healthcare providers. Please read our article on vaccines and immunizations for more information about Florida's immunization requirements.

All private schools are required to have this information pursuant to Florida Statute 1003.22.

Not necessarily. We will need proof of Kindergarten completion if your child will be taking courses at FLVS and is entering first grade. We will need school records if you want your child's grades transferred to our school under our academic program. We will need high school transcripts if your child is enrolling in our diploma program. If you would like us to request your child's records from their former school, please include an Enrollment Notification and Records Request form with your enrollment documents.

Documents may be mailed, emailed, or attached to one of our submission forms.

Very! We take the security of your and your children's personal information seriously. Our students' permanent school records are archived in locked, fire-proof file cabinets, and documents containing obsolete personal information are shredded and destroyed. Digital records are kept offline on password protected drives. We do not use outside sources or third party services (e.g., Google's services or cloud storage) to store personal information, and we do not share our students' records unless required by law without explicit parental/guardian or student consent.

You must notify us in writing if you wish to have your child's records sent to another person or entity. Note that we will provide you with access to your child's records after your child turns 18 years of age as long as your child is enrolled at our school. A student age 18 and older may formally request to restrict your access.