Step Up for Students & Math: A Florida Parent's Plain-English Guide

By Erika Nagy, founder of MathKnights and Florida parent of two · Updated July 2026 · Not affiliated with Step Up For Students or the Florida DOE — just a mom who did the reading.

If you've heard other Florida parents mention "Step Up money" and quietly wondered what they're talking about — this page is for you. The short version: Florida funds school choice more aggressively than almost any state, and since 2023, eligibility no longer depends on income. That includes families who homeschool. Many are receiving an education savings account worth roughly $8,000 per child per year — money that can pay for curriculum, online learning programs, tutoring, and instructional materials. Including, yes, math.

Here's the whole system in plain English.

The scholarships, decoded

Amounts are set annually by the Florida Legislature and vary by county and grade. 2026–27 official amounts publish in July 2026.

PEP: the one homeschool families ask me about

PEP gives homeschooling families an education savings account (ESA) — it works like a purpose-restricted bank account. The trade, honestly stated:

You get: ~$8,000 per child per year for curriculum, online learning, materials, and tutoring. You commit to: a Student Learning Plan (SLP) filed with your scholarship organization, a sworn compliance affidavit, and an annual nationally norm-referenced test score submitted to them. Note that last one — it replaces the usual menu of Florida home-education evaluation options while you're on PEP, and it's the piece that surprises families most. This is exactly why practice aligned to Florida's own B.E.S.T. benchmarks stops being a nice-to-have: your child is practicing the same expectations they'll be measured against.

How families actually spend the money

Two paths, and most families use both:

1. MyScholarShop — Step Up's online marketplace of pre-approved vendors and products. Click, buy, funds deduct directly. Simplest path when what you want is listed.
2. Reimbursement — pay out of pocket for an eligible expense (an approved category like instructional materials or curriculum), keep the receipt, submit it through the portal, get paid back from the ESA. This is how families buy from smaller providers that aren't in the marketplace.

The rulebook for what counts is the Purchasing Guide for your specific scholarship — it's updated every year, so check the current one before a big purchase rather than relying on a Facebook comment (including this page!).

Using scholarship funds for math, specifically

Math is where a lot of ESA money goes, because math is where homeschool confidence wobbles first. What families typically fund: a core curriculum (workbook or online), an adaptive practice program for daily reps, and sometimes a tutor for rough patches. A few honest tips from the trenches:

• Match tools to Florida's benchmarks. If your child will take a norm-referenced test annually (PEP requires it), practice aligned to grade-level expectations pays off directly. Our B.E.S.T. alignment table shows what that looks like benchmark-by-benchmark.
• An $8,000 ESA changes the math on price. Full disclosure and a little perspective: MathKnights Premium Family is $59.99/year for up to four children — under 1% of one child's PEP funds. Whether you use ours or anything else, the point stands: don't let price anxiety push you toward a tool your child hates.
• Keep every receipt and a one-line note of what each purchase was for. Future-you, at reimbursement or SLP time, will be grateful.

Frequently asked questions

What is Step Up For Students?

Step Up For Students is a state-approved Scholarship Funding Organization (SFO) that administers Florida's school-choice scholarships — including the Personalized Education Program (PEP) for homeschool families, the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities (FES-UA), private school scholarships (FTC/FES-EO), and others. It has served Florida families since 2000. AAA Scholarships is the other approved SFO.

How much is the PEP scholarship?

PEP provides an education savings account (ESA) averaging around $8,000 per student per year (amounts vary by county and grade, and are set annually by the Florida Legislature). The program can serve up to 140,000 students in the 2026–27 school year.

Can PEP funds pay for a math app or online math program?

Yes — instructional materials, curriculum, and online learning programs are core approved categories for PEP funds. Purchases typically happen two ways: directly through MyScholarShop (Step Up's marketplace of approved vendors), or by paying out of pocket and submitting receipts for reimbursement. Always check the current Purchasing Guide for your scholarship, because category rules are updated each year.

When can I apply?

Applications for the 2026–27 school year opened in January 2026 and the deadline for new and renewing PEP students was April 30, 2026 — so that window has closed. If you missed it, join Step Up's interest list so you're notified when 2027–28 applications open (typically each January), and note that renewal students get first priority by law.

Does my child have to take a test if we use PEP?

PEP has its own accountability path: families submit a Student Learning Plan, a sworn compliance affidavit, and an annual nationally norm-referenced test score to the SFO. (This replaces the standard Florida home-education evaluation options while on PEP — one reason benchmark-aligned practice is genuinely useful for PEP families.)

Is MathKnights an approved Step Up vendor?

We're a small Parkland-built company and we'll always be straight with you: check MyScholarShop for current vendor listings, and remember the reimbursement path exists for eligible instructional materials even when a specific vendor isn't in the marketplace. MathKnights Premium Family is $59.99/year for up to 4 children — aligned to Florida's B.E.S.T. standards, benchmark by benchmark. Questions? Email hello@mathknights.com and a real person (me) answers.

This guide reflects program information as of July 2026 and is written by an independent Florida parent and business owner. Program rules, amounts, and deadlines are set by the Florida Legislature and administered by SFOs — always verify current details at stepupforstudents.org before making decisions. MathKnights is not affiliated with or endorsed by Step Up For Students or the Florida Department of Education.