5 Things Florida School Leaders Need to Know About Scholarships

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1) Florida uses two ESA-style programs

FES-EO and FTC provide scholarship funds kept in an account. Scholarship Funding Organizations (SFOs) hold and disburse funds in scheduled installments. Schools receive tuition and required fees once enrollment is confirmed and payments are approved.

2) Schools must register twice before receiving funds

Being listed in the Florida Department of Education’s Directory of Private Schools is required, but not sufficient. Schools must also onboard with at least one approved SFO and complete program participation requirements (agreements, banking, contacts, and compliance processes).

3) SFO timelines set your cash flow

There is no single statewide portal. Each SFO runs its own schedule. For schools, the important milestones are quarterly payment cycles and the internal deadlines for confirming enrollment so payments aren’t delayed.

4) Participation adds ongoing administrative tasks

Schools typically must confirm enrollment/attendance each term in the SFO portal, meet testing requirements, maintain compliance documentation, and cooperate with SFO reviews or audits.

5) Plan for capacity, revenue mix, and compliance risk

Scholarship amounts can vary year-to-year by county and grade. Schools should decide who owns portal workflows, deadlines, testing coordination, parent communication, and billing checks to prevent errors that can impact payments or program standing.