Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES): FES-EO and FES-UA

FES-EO (Educational Options)

FES-UA (Unique Abilities)

The Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) is one Florida law, s. 1002.394, that creates two different scholarships. FES-EO helps any K-12 student who is eligible for public school attend a private school instead. FES-UA is an education savings account for students with a disability, from age 3, that can pay for school, therapy, tutoring and more. Both are paid with state money through the Florida Education Finance Program, four times a year, and Step Up For Students, AAA Scholarship Foundation and Sunshine State Kids Foundation administer both for 2026-27².

FES-EO and FES-UA side by side

A student can hold only one of them at a time, and a parent can't apply for FES and the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship for the same child at once¹⁹. If your child has a disability, compare the two before you apply: the amounts on the award amounts page and the allowed uses on the spending FAQ.

How FES is funded

FES students are funded through the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP), the same state formula that funds public schools²⁰. The 2026-27 budget set aside $2,608,430,033²¹ for FES-EO and $1,918,223,017²¹ for FES-UA, funding 320,439.5²¹ and 172,959.75²¹ unweighted full-time-equivalent (FTE) students.

You may have read that FES would move outside the FEFP or switch to monthly payments. Those bills (SB 7030 in 2025 and CS/SB 318 in 2026) did not pass. FES is still funded inside the FEFP and paid quarterly²⁰.

When FES money is paid

FDOE sends FES money to the SFOs once a quarter. The law sets the latest date for each release. Renewing students' first payment comes a month before new students' first payment; after that the dates are the same.

Before each payment the SFO must confirm the student is still eligible²⁵. Step Up For Students says it credits student accounts within 14 days²⁶ of receiving the money. AAA Scholarship Foundation and Sunshine State Kids Foundation publish their own school payment schedules; see the payment dates page.

Applying: one calendar for both

• Renewals: February 1, 2026 to April 30, 2026²⁷, with the family's confirmation due by May 31, 2026²⁸. Those 2026-27 windows have closed.
• New students: SFOs must take applications through at least November 15, 2026²⁹, and families confirm by December 15, 2026³⁰. Step Up For Students says FES-UA may close earlier if it reaches capacity¹.
• Last call: an SFO may not submit a new FES student for funding after February 1, 2027³¹.

Apply through one SFO. Our guide to applying links each SFO's application site, and the deadlines page lists every 2026-27 date.

Switching between FES-EO and FES-UA

Step Up For Students allows one program switch per school year³². Its fall window runs October 2, 2026 to October 30, 2026³³, and a switch made then is funded for the third and fourth quarters only. To switch, you decline the current scholarship and apply for the other one³². We did not find published switching rules from AAA Scholarship Foundation or Sunshine State Kids Foundation; ask your SFO. More in the switching FAQ.

What is procedure, not law

Three 2026-27 requirements come from SFO and FDOE procedures, not from new legislation²⁰:

• Public-school attestation and withdrawal proof. Step Up For Students asked families receiving their first payment in September to attest that the student is not enrolled in public school; later quarters rely on proof of public-school withdrawal³⁴.
• Enrollment crosschecks. FDOE compares scholarship lists with public-school enrollment twice a year, in October and February³⁵. At Step Up For Students, a match shows as “Action Needed” and puts the account on hold until it is cleared³⁶.
• Who counts as a renewal. Step Up For Students defines a renewing student as one funded in the fourth quarter for the same scholarship, whose scholarship was not revoked³⁷.

Keeping the account open

Unused money rolls over from year to year until the deposit limits above. An FES account closes after 2 consecutive fiscal years³⁸ with no spending, so spend at least something each year.

Program pages

• Private School Scholarship (FES-EO and FTC): eligibility, amounts and how private schools are paid
• Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA): disabilities that qualify, matrix levels and uses
• FES-UA amounts by matrix level
• Eligibility for every program · Income priority limits

Related

• All Florida K-12 scholarship programs
• Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) · Personalized Education Program (PEP)
• FAQ: amounts and balances · FAQ: deadlines
• Miami-Dade, Broward and Orange County award amounts
• Step Up For Students · AAA Scholarship Foundation · Sunshine State Kids Foundation