Florida: Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities
Record Keeping
- Funding Breakdown
Funding Breakdown
- Qualifications
Qualifications
- Student Eligibility
Student Eligibility
- How to Apply
How to Apply
- Usage Explanation
Usage Explanation
- Rollover Funds Explanation
Rollover Funds Explanation
- Guidelines
Guidelines
- State Statute
State Statute
Funding Breakdown
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) in Florida, structured as an Education Savings Account (ESA), provides funding to support the educational needs of students with disabilities. The funding is determined through the Florida Education Finance Plan (FEFP) and varies based on factors such as grade level, county of residence, and public school spending for students with disabilities.
Example Breakdown based on the 2025-2026 Academic Year
The FES-UA award is calculated using a Matrix of Services, a tool used by Florida public schools to determine the level of support required for students with disabilities based on their Individualized Education Plan (IEP), or 504 plan. The funding amount is the higher of:
- 100% of the basic Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program funding for the student’s disability level, as determined by the Matrix of Services
- The actual cost of services required by the student’s IEP or 504 plan
While exact amount depend on the student’s Matrix of Services level, grade, and county, the following figures provide a reliable estimate based on available data and trends for the 2025-2026 school year:
- Base Funding: For students with less intensive needs the FES-UA award typically starts at $8,000-$9,000 per year
- Moderate Needs: Students requiring moderate services (e.g., speech therapy, or specific learning disability support) may receive approximately $10,000-$15,000 per year.
- High Needs: Students with significant disabilities (e.g. autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, or dual sensory impairment requiring intensive therapies) can receive $20,000-$30,000 or more per year
Account balances cannot exceed $50,000 due to the rollover policy, after which no additional funds are deposited until the balance is reduced through approved expenditures.
Funding Breakdown
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) in Florida, structured as an Education Savings Account (ESA), provides funding to support the educational needs of students with disabilities. The funding is determined through the Florida Education Finance Plan (FEFP) and varies based on factors such as grade level, county of residence, and public school spending for students with disabilities.
Example Breakdown based on the 2025-2026 Academic Year
The FES-UA award is calculated using a Matrix of Services, a tool used by Florida public schools to determine the level of support required for students with disabilities based on their Individualized Education Plan (IEP), or 504 plan. The funding amount is the higher of:
- 100% of the basic Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program funding for the student’s disability level, as determined by the Matrix of Services
- The actual cost of services required by the student’s IEP or 504 plan
While exact amount depend on the student’s Matrix of Services level, grade, and county, the following figures provide a reliable estimate based on available data and trends for the 2025-2026 school year:
- Base Funding: For students with less intensive needs the FES-UA award typically starts at $8,000-$9,000 per year
- Moderate Needs: Students requiring moderate services (e.g., speech therapy, or specific learning disability support) may receive approximately $10,000-$15,000 per year.
- High Needs: Students with significant disabilities (e.g. autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, or dual sensory impairment requiring intensive therapies) can receive $20,000-$30,000 or more per year
Account balances cannot exceed $50,000 due to the rollover policy, after which no additional funds are deposited until the balance is reduced through approved expenditures.
Qualifications
- Income Limit: None; if New, Priority to 185% FPL and Foster Care Prior Year Public School Requirement: None
- Testing Mandates: State or National, Students with Disabilities Exempt if Testing Not Appropriate
- Special Needs Pathway: Exclusively Special Needs
Student Eligibility
To qualify for Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA), students must be Florida residents aged 3 to 22 who have not yet graduated from 12th grade. They must have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a diagnosis from a physician or psychologist for one of the following disabilities:
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Cerebral palsy
- Down syndrome
- Intellectual disability
- Speech impairment
- Language impairment
- Muscular dystrophy
- Phelan-McDermid syndrome
- Prader-Willi syndrome
- Spina bifida
- Williams syndrome
- Anaphylaxis
- Dual sensory impairment
- Rare diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 Americans
- Specific learning disabilities
- Other health impairments as defined by law
Additionally, eligibility extends to students who are hearing or visually impaired, have a traumatic brain injury, are hospitalized or homebound with a medically diagnosed physical or psychiatric condition lasting over six months, or are aged 3 to 5 and identified as “high-risk” due to developmental delay.
How to Apply
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- Parents fill out a universal application, which applies to both the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) program and the **Family Empowerment Scholarship program (FES)**, but students are granted access under FTC until 75% of all estimated net eligible contributions are used, at which point students may be awarded Family Empowerment Scholarships.
Usage Explanation
Parents can use the funds to pay for a variety of educational services including:
- Private school tuition and fees
- Instructional materials and devices
- Specialized services by an approved provide or hospital
- Tutoring
- Online Education
- Home Education
- Curriculum
- Therapies and behavior analysis
- Services from a speech pathologist
- Fees for national norm-refered testing
- AP exams and industry certifications
- Unbundled courses and services at a public school
- Tuition or fees from a choice navigator
- Postsecondary educational institutions in Florida and other defined educational services.
Rollover Funds Explanation
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) in Florida allows for rollover of unused funds. Unused funds in a student’s FES-UA account can be rolled over for future use, provided the account balance does not exceed $50,000.
Guidelines
Additional Program Guidelines
- Enrollment Cap: 72,615, Plus Exemptions, With Escalator
- Account Cap: 100% of Formula Funding for SPED (Level I to III), 100% of Cost of Matrix of Services (Level IV or V)
Participant and Family Guidelines
- Education Requirements: N/A
- Parent Supplemented Funds/Scholarships: Allowed
- Disbursement Payment/Frequency: Quarterly
- Reimbursement Allowed: Yes
Education Provider Guidelines
- Accreditation/Approval: State
- Employment Standards: Background checks for teachers and other employees who work with scholarship recipients; Teachers must have a bachelor’s degree, three years of teaching experience or special expertise
- Nondiscrimination: Federal
- Calendar/Curriculum/Attendance: None
- Financial: Surety bond or letter of credit if in operation <3 year Independent financial report if >$250,000 in scholarships
Scholarship Organization Guidelines
- Scholarship to Contribution Ratio: N/A
- State Reporting: Quarterly reporting; Scholarship recipients, scholarships awarded and timeliness of reimbursements
- Financial: Surety bond or letter of credit of $100,000 or 25% of scholarships, whichever is greater; Annual CPA audit
- Award Priority: Renewing students, then low-income students (185% FPL or less) or students
State Statute
Fla. Stat. §§ 1002.395 and 1002.421
(Last updated July 15, 2024)