The private school scholarships (FTC and FES-EO)

How the private school scholarships work

FTC and FES-EO are two scholarships that help pay for a private school, and Step Up For Students runs both. Families apply and accept through Step Up, and the money goes first to the school’s tuition and fees.

For families, the two programs work almost the same way. They share one purchasing guide, one set of Palm Beach County amounts, and the same enrollment rule. You manage the funds in the Education Market Assistant (EMA), the same account other Step Up families use.

The enrollment rule matters most. Students using an FTC or FES-EO scholarship must be educated full time at the physical location of an eligible private school, and these funds cannot pay for full-time online instruction.

That means these scholarships are not built for homeschooling. Homeschool families usually look at the PEP scholarship instead.

Who qualifies for FTC and FES-EO

The FTC and FES-EO scholarships are open to Florida residents eligible to enroll in a K-12 public school, at any income level, with priority for lower-income families. In other words, there is no income cap, but some families get priority.

Meeting the basic rules does not mean an award is certain. Step Up reviews each application and decides who receives funding.

For 2026-27, new Private School applications are accepted through November 15, 2026. New students must accept or decline by December 15, 2026.

The how to apply guide walks through the documents and steps. The key dates page lists every confirmed deadline and the quarterly payment schedule.

How much the scholarship is in Palm Beach County

For 2026-27, Palm Beach County amounts are $8,890 (K-3), $8,288 (grades 4-8), and $8,091 (grades 9-12). The amount depends on your child’s grade, and tuition and fees are paid from it first.

Compare the award with your school’s tuition and fees before you plan anything else. What is left after tuition is what you can use for other eligible costs, such as part-time tutoring.

Funding arrives by quarter, so your balance changes through the year. Ask your school how it bills tuition across the year, because that affects when any leftover funds show up.

What FTC and FES-EO pay for

In short, the school gets paid first. The Private School scholarships (FTC and FES-EO) pay private school tuition and fees first. Once tuition and fees are paid, any remaining funds may be used for other eligible expenses, including part-time tutoring and Choice Navigator services.

This is a 2026-27 detail worth knowing. You may have read that these scholarships do not pay for tutoring, but the current Private School purchasing guide allows part-time tutoring from leftover funds.

There are limits. The scholarships that pay for full-time private tutoring are FES-UA and PEP only, and Private School funds cannot pay for full-time online instruction.

For the full list of eligible expenses, read the Private School purchasing guide. My purchasing guide explainer covers curriculum, testing, and Choice Navigators in plain words.

Tutoring options for private school families

If your child is on FTC or FES-EO and needs tutoring, you typically have three paths. You can use funds left after tuition and fees, check whether the Unique Abilities Scholarship fits your child, or pay privately.

Use leftover funds

Once your school’s tuition and fees are paid, log in to EMA and check what is left. If funds remain, you may be able to reserve them with an approved part-time tutor.

Part-time tutoring is capped at 720 hours a year for grades K-3 and 900 hours a year for grades 4-12, though most part-time schedules use far fewer hours. Reserve a few weeks of sessions at a time so you can adjust as your balance changes.

Check whether FES-UA fits

If your child has a qualifying diagnosis, the Unique Abilities Scholarship may be a better fit for tutoring. The Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) is for Florida residents ages 3 to 22, or through grade 12, whichever comes first, who have one of 23 qualifying diagnoses. These include Specific Learning Disability (which includes dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia), Language Impairment, Speech Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Other Health Impairment (which includes ADHD).

FES-UA also gives you more tutoring options. The Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) and the Personalized Education Program (PEP) can pay for part-time tutoring and Choice Navigator services. They are also the only two scholarships that pay for full-time private tutoring.

New FES-UA applications for 2026-27 are accepted through November 15, 2026. Moving between scholarships also has set windows, and for 2026-27 the fall switch window is October 2 to October 30, 2026. Step Up's scholarship switching guide explains the steps.

Ask Step Up which path applies to your child, and how a change would affect your child’s school, before you apply. The Unique Abilities guide explains the qualifying diagnoses, documents, and amounts in plain words.

Pay privately

Some families pay for tutoring out of pocket, especially when tuition uses most of the scholarship. It is simple, and you can start without waiting on a balance.

My rate is the same whether you pay through Step Up or privately. See pricing for how rates and payment work.

If your child moves to public school

Enrolling full time in a public school changes your scholarship. A student with a Private School, FES-UA, or PEP scholarship who enrolls full time in a Florida public school is no longer eligible for additional scholarship funding. Funds already in the account stay available in EMA.

If you are thinking about a move during the school year, call Step Up first at 1-877-735-7837. Ask what happens to your balance and to any tutoring you have already reserved.

The Hope Scholarship is now part of FTC

The Hope Scholarship no longer runs as its own program. The Hope Scholarship has merged into the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) scholarship. Families of students who experienced bullying in public school now file a Hope Scholarship Notification Form.

If you came here looking for the Hope Scholarship, start with the FTC information on this page. Step Up’s Hope Scholarship page explains the notification form and what happens next.

Questions to ask before you plan tutoring

A few questions up front can save you a surprise later in the year. Ask your school, Step Up, and any tutor you are considering before you reserve funds.

• Ask your school: What are total tuition and fees for the year, and how are they billed? Does the school already offer reading or writing support during the day?
• Ask Step Up: How much will be left in your EMA account after tuition and fees? If your child may qualify for FES-UA, which path applies and what are the deadlines?
• Ask the tutor: Are you an approved Step Up For Students provider who bills through EMA? What credential do you hold, how do you measure progress, and is your rate the same for private pay?

Write down the answers and the date you got them. Rules and balances change during the year, and notes make the next call much easier.

How I work with private school families

I am an approved Step Up For Students provider, and I teach reading and writing one-on-one, in person in Palm Beach County or online anywhere in Florida. Sessions focus on the skills that make schoolwork hard, such as decoding, spelling, and written expression.

FES-UA and PEP families can pay me directly through EMA. If your child’s FTC or FES-EO account has funds left after tuition, you may be able to use them for sessions with me through EMA. We can talk it through on the fit call.

This is an independent guide, and Step Up makes every decision about eligibility and funding. To get started, book a free 15-minute fit call or read about reading and writing tutoring.