Santa Rosa County Home Education Department

A "home education program," as defined by Florida law, is "sequentially progressive instruction of a student directed by his or her parent in order to satisfy the attendance requirements of ss. 1002.41, 1003.01(13), and 1003.21(1)."

Section 1002.41, Florida Statutes, states, "A home education program is not a school district program and is registered with the district school superintendent only for the purpose of complying with the state's attendance requirements under s. 1003.21(1)."

For more information, please refer to Section 10 (pages 210-223) of the Santa Rosa County District Schools Student Progression Plan.

Required Steps for Home Education:

Step 1: SUBMIT A LETTER OF INTENT

You can complete and sign the Intent to Establish and Maintain a Home Education Program and the Summary of Home Education Requirements. If you choose to submit your own letter of intent, the letter should state your intent to establish and maintain a home education program. It must be in writing, signed by the parent, and include the full legal names, addresses, and birthdates of all children who shall be enrolled as students in the home education program.

Step 2: KEEP A PORTFOLIO

Section 1002.41, F.S., defines a portfolio as “A log of educational activities which is made contemporaneously with the instruction and which designates by title any reading materials used and samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials used or developed by the student.” The portfolio shall be preserved by the parent for two years and shall be made available for inspection by the superintendent, or the superintendent’s designee, upon a 15-day written notice. The superintendent, or the superintendent’s designee, is not required to inspect portfolios.

Step 3: SUBMIT AN ANNUAL EVALUATION

A student in a home education setting must be evaluated once a year to demonstrate educational progress at a level commensurate to the child’s abilities. The parent/guardian selects the method of evaluation from those provided in Florida Statute, then files a copy of the evaluation annually in the superintendent’s office. The evaluation must consist of one of the following:

  1. A Florida certified teacher chosen by the parent may evaluate the child’s progress based on the review of the portfolio and discussion with the student;

  2. The student may take any nationally normed student achievement test administered by a certified teacher;

  3. The student may take a state student assessment test used by the school district and administered by a certified teacher, at a location and under testing conditions approved by the school district;

  4. The student may be evaluated by a psychologist holding a valid, active license pursuant to the provisions of Section 490.003 (7) or (8), F.S.; or

  5. The student may be evaluated with any other valid measurement tool as mutually agreed upon by the school superintendent of the district in which the student resides and the student’s parent.

*** Parents may contact the local district home education office or a state or local parent group to obtain the names of available evaluators. All evaluators for home education students must have a current certification in academic subjects at the elementary or secondary level in the state of Florida.

*** Section 1002.41, F.S., requires the parent to provide for an annual evaluation of the home education student. Failure to do so places the home education program in non-compliance and permits the superintendent, after notice to the parent, to terminate the program.

Step 4: TERMINATE

If your student will be moving to another county or state, enrolling in public, private, or charter school, or completing their home education program, you will need to submit a Notification of Termination.

The parent shall file a written notice of termination upon completion of the home education program with the district school superintendent, along with the annual evaluation, within 30 days of termination.

***Home education is a NON-DIPLOMA option in the state of Florida. Please note that "a signed affidavit of completion (notarized letter) submitted by the student's parent attesting that the student has completed a home education program, pursuant to the requirements of s. 1002.41, F.S., is the legal document of completion. As stated in s. 1007.263(2)(a), F.S., it is equivalent to a high school diploma and is regularly accepted by the state colleges and universities as proof of high school completion. This statement can be included on a student's academic transcript or parent-issued diploma. While not required, some students elect to culminate their home education program by taking the General Educational Development (GED) test. A student is issued a diploma from the Department of Education upon passage of the GED. The toll-free number for information pertaining to the GED is 1-800-237-5113."

Home Education Contacts:

Jerilyn O'Brien, Santa Rosa Blended Academy Administrator

Meredith Powers, Home Education Liaison

April Angeles, Home Education Secretary/Data Entry

Debbie Werner, Receptionist/Secretary

Lynn Sharp, Testing Coordinator

***Home Education is part of Santa Rosa Blended Academy.
5330 Berryhill Road, Milton FL  32570

PH (850) 981-7860 

FAX (850) 983-5715

ACT Waivers

Home Education students should contact the Guidance Dept. at their zoned high school to request a fee waiver. The school/school counselor should verify that the student meets the eligibility criteria for a fee waiver.

To apply for the ACT fee waiver program, you must meet the following eligibility requirements:

  • Be currently enrolled in high school in the 11th or 12th grade.
  • Be testing in the United States, US territories, or Puerto Rico.
  • Meet one or more of the indicators of economic need listed below:
  • Enrolled in a federal free or reduced-price lunch program at school, based on US Department of Agriculture (USDA) income levels.
  • Enrolled in a program for the economically disadvantaged (for example, a federally funded program such as GEAR UP or Upward Bound). Note: If the student participates in a program, but is not economically disadvantaged, they are not eligible for a fee waiver.
  • Resides in a foster home, is a ward of the state, or is homeless.
  • Family receives low-income public assistance or lives in federally subsidized public housing.
  • Family’s total annual income is at or below USDA levels for free or reduced-price lunches on the USDA Food and Nutrition Service website.

Fee waivers include:

-Registration fee for up to 4 ACT tests with or without the optional writing test.

-Free learning resources from Kaplan

**-Free Test Information Release **(Offered on three test dates a year, the TIR allows you to see your test questions and answers after your test.)

-Free additional Score Reports(You can send additional ACT score reports for free to colleges and/or scholarship agencies at any time during your college search process. Your fee waiver covers one report to your high school and up to six college choices. After registration, you can request      unlimited score reports for free.)

-Apply to colleges for free (Students who test with an ACT fee waiver may also request a Waiver or Deferral of College Admission Applications Fee. To have a college application fee waived, you must submit your fee waiver directly to the college to which you are applying (not to ACT).

Students needing/requesting ACT accommodations should visit: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration/accommodations/policy-for-accommodations-documentation.html