Homeschooling offers a handful of benefits over traditional schooling, from being able to individualize your child’s education to their personal needs and goals to enjoying a more flexible schedule that can benefit both you and your child.
If you hate the daily school commute, it’s yet another reason to consider homeschooling.
So, there are plenty of reasons homeschooling has become increasingly popular over the last few decades.
But how do you start homeschooling, and what are the best Florida homeschooling programs worth looking at?
Let’s take a look!
Below, we’ve listed some of the best homeschool programs and online schools in Florida, all providing the academic curriculum, educational resources, and virtual support your child needs to thrive as a homeschooled student.
Florida Virtual School (FLVS) offers over 190 online courses that can be accessed around the clock.
For increased educational flexibility for students in grades K-12, Florida Virtual School is an option worth looking at for its award-winning range of courses that are professionally developed and taught by certified teachers online.
Online learning options at Florida Virtual School cater to elementary school students, middle school students, and high school students. Both public and private school students are welcome, and the enrollment process is, thankfully, pretty simple.
As long as your child meets state homeschooling requirements, it’s as easy as choosing the course and date.
As for the courses, these include core courses, elective courses, and career and technical education courses across 6th grade to 12th grade.
Dual enrollment is also allowed at Florida Virtual School for students looking to supplement their current education through online homeschooling.
Power Homeschool offers homeschooling courses nationwide, along with support and guidance for parents looking to find the best homeschooling options in their home state.
As for its homeschool program, Power Homeschool offers courses for all K12 students, from elementary students (PreK) to high school students in grades 9–12.
A few of the K-12 powered homeschool courses offered by Power Homeschool include Social Studies, CTE, Foundations of Music, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and History/Social Studies.
The platform also offers STEM-10 learning courses for students planning paths in STEM-oriented careers.
As a result, homeschooling courses with Power Homeschool are extensive and professionally designed to cater to K12 students in Florida.
The homeschooling platform also makes it easy for parents to get fully involved with their child’s education, offering access to an Acellus Learning System for monitoring progress and keeping records.
Time4Learning is a top homeschool curriculum for homeschoolers in Florida. It’s used by families statewide, offering fantastic benefits that include parent tools, self-paced lesson plans, and a competitive membership fee that provides instant access to all the core subjects through its 24/7 online portal.
Just some of the umbrella courses Time4Learning offers parents and students include math, science, social studies, language arts, and electives, catering to preschoolers, kindergarteners, elementary students, middle school students, and high school students.
It’s a well-rounded homeschooling platform, as a result, with over 3,500 lessons in total.
What stands out about Time4Learning’s homeschool programs is its automated grading and reporting tools, as well as how it lets you start, stop, and pause your membership at any time.
If you’re not satisfied with Time4Learning after enrolling, you can also get your money back within 14 days.
Digital Academy Of Florida (DAOF) is another great homeschooling option for students residing within the state. It’s dedicated to helping K-12 students through personalized learning programs and educational tools, with all courses and classes taught by state-certified teachers.
With Digital Academy of Florida, students can earn college credits, gain industry experience, and learn real-world skills to advance their education towards specific careers.
DOAF programs cater to elementary school, middle school, and high school students and even offer homeschool programs for career and college prep.
As a parent, you are also actively involved in your child’s learning process.
Digital Academy of Florida encourages communication with teachers as well as opportunities to send your child on school outings, field trips, and other educational activities to allow them to socialize with peers while homeschooling.
FaithPrep Florida is another K12-powered homeschool program designed to help students achieve academic success at home.
Its courses are also faith-based, ideal for Christian families in Florida who are seeking high-quality education that promotes a Biblical worldview throughout the learning process.
As an online homeschooling program, FaithPrep provides a full homeschool curriculum with educational resources, student support, and an involved learning system that places you as your child’s Faith Coach, helping them to learn and progress through enrolled courses at a pace that’s best for them.
FaithPrep homeschooling serves K-4 grades, middle school students, and high school students, with teacher-led individual and group sessions (called Class Concepts) and assessments to prepare each child for state testing.
Overall, for Christian families in Florida, FaithPrep’s homeschool programs are well worth considering.
Discovery K12 is an online homeschooling program that offers a broad range of courses for students from 6th grade to 12th grade.
The curriculum is extensive, as a result, with over 20,000 lessons that you can enroll your child in both part-time and full-time to suit your teaching style and your child’s learning style.
Seven standard subjects are included in the DK12 homeschool program: Reading/Literature, Math, Language Arts, Science, History/Social Studies, Physical Education, and Visual/Performing Arts.
The curriculum also boasts extracurricular courses, such as Spanish 1, HTML Coding, Personal Finance, Business 101, and Healthy Living.
What’s also great about Discovery K12 homeschooling is its large library of educational materials.
This includes more than 100 classic literature e-books, 500 math quizzes for grade levels 2–12, and STEM projects in science, technology, engineering, and math, which can be made at home using basic household supplies.
K12 Private Academy is an online private school in Florida with a homeschooling program expertly designed for students in elementary school, middle school, and high school.
The program places a big focus on personalized learning, providing increased flexibility through its wide range of personalized courses and year-round enrollment dates.
K12 Private Academy is NCAA and Cognia-accredited with a team of certified teachers, counselors, and academic coaches.
Courses can be completed both part-time and full-time, with the additional option of supplemental individual courses, summer school, and socialization opportunities through its network of online clubs and virtual field trips.
Enrollment at K12 Academy is simple too, as the whole process takes place online.
More benefits include live classes and personalized teacher support, comprehensive counseling for all grade levels, advanced placement classes, customer service and technical support, and dual enrollment options.
Florida Cyber Charter Academy (FLCCA) is a K12-powered, full-time online school in Florida.
It’s dedicated to tailoring programs to each child’s needs, with a curriculum that caters to different learning styles across elementary school academics, middle school academics, and high school academics.
A benefit of enrolling at Florida Cyber Charter Academy is that all online classes are taught by certified Florida teachers.
As a public charter school, there is no tuition fee either. Students at Florida Cyber Charter Academy can also benefit from socializing with classmates and peers through field trips, outings, and school-based clubs.
Overall, Florida Cyber Charter Academy is a great homeschooling option for students and parents residing in Florida, especially those seeking teacher-led online classes that promote individualized learning.
Students are encouraged to learn in ways that are best for them, whether that’s through a set routine or at their own pace.
HomeLife Academy (HLA) is an academy with online programs designed for homeschooled students residing in Florida.
The programs help elementary students and middle school students excel academically through a minimum of four courses and also help high school students achieve diplomas to open up desired college and career paths.
What’s great about HomeLife Academy is that you can get same-day approval by applying online.
There are other perks to enrolling at HomeLife Academy as well, which include standardized Classic Learning Tests (CLTLs) and discounts on extracurricular courses such as Beyond Personal Course, Math Essentials, and more.
HomeLife Academy has been running for almost 15 years, so it’s a reputable homeschooling academy for students who prefer the freedom of choosing their curriculum and the educational resources they need.
Enrolled students also get membership discounts with HSLDA, THEA, and FPA organizations.
Sunshine State Academy (SSA) K-12 is a private school serving homeschool families in Florida.
Its homeschooling program allows students to choose the course curriculum they need, providing a more individualized non-state-led education that can also help families save money in the process.
Sunshine State Academy K-12 is an inclusive private school that welcomes K12 students of all backgrounds.
It’s a secular institution with a broad umbrella of educational courses for elementary students and middle school students, which include English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Physical Education/Health.
As for high school students at Sunshine State Academy K-12, they can earn credits in English Language Arts, Math, Natural Science, Social Science, Physical Health/Education, and Electives, giving them all the courses and resources needed to achieve a high school diploma for college and career preparation.
Optima Academy Online is based in Naples, Florida, offering immersive virtual reality classes for K-9 students.
As a result, it’s less conventional than other online schools and homeschooling programs, putting the focus on providing a classical education that immerses students in the classroom using virtual reality technology.
Courses at Optima Academy Online cater to elementary school students, middle school students, and high school students, with the addition of extracurricular activities for all grades.
The core courses include science, social studies, math, language arts, music, art, and physical education.
Above all, if your child struggles to stay focused during homeschooling sessions, Optima Academy Online offers a more fun and interactive homeschool experience with increased learning engagement thanks to its immersive virtual reality classrooms that also offer real interaction between students and teachers.
The private school is based in Kissimmee and provides both teacher-led and parent-led educational courses ranging from elementary school and middle school grades to high school grades.
Some of the perks of enrolling at Living Legacy Academy include umbrella school support, automatic grading, and built-in assessments, report cards delivered at the end of each semester, live in-person classes, parent support, non-discriminatory admissions, and fully tracked records and attendance.
Enrolling at Living Legacy Academy is simple as it can be processed online through the website’s pre-enrollment form.
The programs also cater to various kinds of students switching to homeschooling, including students who have been bullied, students with special needs, students who desire more flexible learning, and advanced learners.
Tampa Bay Heat offers homeschooling classes to families residing in Tampa Bay, Florida. It’s been hosting homeschool classes since 2011, offering high-quality K12 education for preschoolers, middle schoolers, and high schoolers.
The classes cover a range of subjects that include math, science, nature study, home economics, music, art, sports, and more.
In addition to its homeschool classes, Tampa Bay Heat also leads fun, low-cost events to help families further their children’s education.
This allows the students to enjoy a social aspect of their homeschooling, with opportunities to make friends and learn more through educational activities and social clubs.
Where Tampa Bay Heat sets itself apart from other Florida homeschooling options is its sports programs, which allow students to compete in the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) and Tampa Bay Christian Athletic League in various sports that include volleyball, basketball, soccer, and more.
Keystone Academy is based in Orlando, Florida, offering weekly academic classes designed to enrich homeschool curriculums.
It combines in-person classes and home study for a hybrid-style homeschooling program catering to lower, middle, and upper school students in K12 grades, all led by experienced teachers.
The class schedule at Keystone Academy runs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, depending on the grade.
The classes cover core subjects that include English, math, science, geography, and more, with complementary subjects such as history, Latin, and other elective modules.
As a result, Keystone Academy involves one class per week while encouraging parents to take over the additional homeschool learning materials.
Detailed assignments are provided after each class, so parents will always know what their child needs to learn and accomplish before the next class takes place.
Trinity Homeschool Academy (T.E.A.C.H.) is a Christian homeschool academy for families who want their children to learn at home with a Biblical worldview.
Based in Tampa, the class schedule is held Monday through to Thursday, with a simple system that involves choosing and paying for the curriculum you want for your child.
Just some of the extensive classes offered at Trinity Homeschool Academy include algebra, biology, core, general science, health and nutrition, history heroes, home economics, language arts, math foundation, physical science, music mania, Spanish, French, U.S. history, graphic design, woodworking and crafting, and lots more.
All in all, Trinity Homeschool Academy is a flexible homeschooling option for Christian children in Florida that can serve as a great supplement to their current education.
The classes are just as fun and interactive as they are educational, with the freedom to decide the classes and schedule that works best for your child.
Conclusion
Florida has no shortage of local homeschool programs and homeschool curriculums if you’re considering homeschooling your child.
If you’re looking for a more personalized learning program for your child and all the other benefits that come with homeschooling, the above are some of the best homeschooling programs in Florida worth considering.
Just don’t forget that there are several important steps to take before you can homeschool your child in accordance with state laws, which can include submitting a declaration of intent to start homeschooling your child and providing proof of a high school diploma or GED as a homeschooling parent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Homeschooled Students Take Standardized Tests In Florida?
State homeschooling laws in Florida require parents to give their children annual educational evaluations, which can include national standardized tests.
Other annual evaluations can include state student assessments and teacher portfolio reviews.
Is Homeschooling Popular In Florida?
Homeschooling and home education are popular in Florida, being a state with one of the highest numbers of homeschooled students in the U.S.
Florida offers a range of homeschooling programs for families, serving all learning styles and academic needs.
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