Florida Private School Scholarship (FTC / FES-EO)

Last verified: October 2026

What is the Florida Private School Scholarship (FTC/FES-EO) for Broward County students?

In everyday speech the Florida Private School Scholarship is a voucher. Two statutory sources fund it, the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO), but a Broward parent files just one application with Step Up For Students and the payment goes to the child's school.

Families sometimes call it the Step Up scholarship or the school choice voucher. The name on the award letter can be either FTC or FES-EO, and it makes no difference to the school or to the amount.

How much does a Broward child get from the Private School Scholarship in 2026-27?

A student who lives in Broward receives $8,494 in grades K-3, $7,896 in grades 4-8 and $7,701 in grades 9-12 for the 2026-27 year. The Legislature sets the figures in the state budget, and Step Up publishes them district by district.

Broward ranks 42nd of Florida's 67 counties by K-3 amount and sits under the statewide median of $8,743; Miami-Dade and Palm Beach pay more, while Orange and Duval pay less. The amount follows the county of residence, not the county of the school, so a Broward child attending a campus across the Miami-Dade or Palm Beach line is still funded at the Broward rate.

Is there an income limit on the Florida scholarship in Broward?

No, there is no income ceiling for the Private School Scholarship, and every Broward K-12 resident can apply. Income only matters for priority when demand outruns money: renewing students go first, then households at or below 185% of the federal poverty level (about $61,050 for a family of four) and foster-care students, then households between 186% and 400%.

Priority is a sorting rule, not an eligibility test. A family above 400% can still apply and be considered.

Which Broward private schools accept the FTC/FES-EO scholarship?

251 of the 357 private schools in the October 28, 2026 state directory for Broward are flagged as FTC or FES-EO participants. That is the state's own flag, copied onto every school page and table row on this site.

A school can register after the directory is pulled, so a school that is not flagged is worth a phone call before it is ruled out.

By what date must a first-time Broward applicant file for the 2026-27 Private School Scholarship?

First-time applicants may apply up to November 15, 2026 and must accept in EMA by December 15, 2026. If a student is still not enrolled at a private school in EMA by then, the last chance to enroll and stay eligible for 2026-27 money is January 15, 2027.

Once the award is accepted, payments come four times a year. Each one waits until the school files the enrollment and the parent approves it in EMA, and that step is where delays usually start.

How does the Broward Private School Scholarship differ from Unique Abilities and PEP?

The Private School Scholarship pays the school directly, while Unique Abilities and PEP fund parent-directed accounts, and the table sets out the other differences.

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