Florida FES Scholarship for Military Dependents (K-12)

Florida's Scholarship for Military Families

Florida's Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) is a universal school choice program: as of the 2026-27 school year, every K-12 student who is a Florida resident and eligible to enroll in a Florida public school can apply, regardless of household income. There is no income cap and no waiting list tied to earnings.

That matters for military families in a way that is easy to get wrong. Before Florida's 2023 expansion (HB 1), FES-EO had income limits, and military dependents were carved out of them — a genuine advantage at the time. That carve-out no longer means anything, because the income limits it protected against are gone for everyone. What military families still get are two procedural advantages that are worth real money: you can apply on PCS orders before you have a Florida address, and you are exempt from the annual application deadline.

For families stationed in Florida considering military schools like Admiral Farragut Academy or Florida Prep, the scholarship is worth roughly $7,500 to $9,300 a year in most counties.

Do Military Dependents Qualify for the FES Scholarship?

Yes — but so does every other Florida K-12 student. FES-EO has had no income requirement since 2023, so there is no longer a military-specific income exemption to claim.

Household income no longer determines whether you qualify. It determines only where you sit in line if funds run short. Step Up For Students awards scholarships first-come, first-served in this order:

Military families are not a separate priority tier. A dual-income household with two E-7s or a senior officer's family will usually land in tier 3 or 4 — still eligible, still funded in practice in recent years, but not ahead of the line. Reporting income is optional; families who opt out are processed without priority and recorded as above 400% of FPL.

What Military Families Actually Get

Two provisions in Florida law and Step Up For Students policy apply specifically to dependents of active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces:

You can apply before you live in Florida. A dependent child of an active-duty member who has received Permanent Change of Station orders to Florida counts as a Florida resident for scholarship eligibility. Upload the PCS orders in the Proof of Residency section and list the Florida address of the unit you are reporting to. Funds are not released until you establish residency and update your address, but your application is in.

You are exempt from the application deadline. Dependents of active-duty members can apply at any point during the school year, not just during application season. This is the provision that saves a summer PCS. You will need to call Step Up For Students at (877) 735-7837 to have an application opened outside the normal window, with PCS orders as documentation.

A third, smaller one: families with PCS orders out of state, or whose home of record or state of legal residence is Florida, are exempt from the rule requiring reimbursed purchases to ship to a Florida address.

Do National Guard and Reserve Families Qualify?

Yes, on the same universal terms as every other Florida resident — but the PCS residency and deadline exceptions are written for active-duty members specifically.

If you are a drilling member of the Florida National Guard or a reservist living in Florida, your child is eligible for FES-EO like any other Florida K-12 student. You establish residency the ordinary way and apply during the normal application window. The accommodations described above are tied to active-duty status and PCS orders, so they generally will not apply unless you are on active orders.

How Much Is the FES Scholarship?

For 2026-27, FES-EO awards are set by the Florida Legislature and vary by the student's county of residence and grade band — from $7,463 to $12,217, averaging about $8,000. Awards get smaller as grade level rises, not larger.

Counties near major Florida installations and the state's military schools:

The award follows your county of residence as listed on the application, not the county where the school sits. A family living in Escambia County and boarding a student at Admiral Farragut in Pinellas is funded at the Escambia rate.

Figures are the 2026-27 amounts published by Step Up For Students and are reset annually by the Legislature. The same amounts apply to the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) scholarship and the Personalized Education Program (PEP).

Which Florida Military Schools Accept FES?

Florida hosts several military school options that accept FES scholarships:

Admiral Farragut Academy (St. Petersburg)

• Grades 8-12 boarding, PreK-12 day
• Navy-focused NJROTC program
• Strong sailing and marine science programs

Florida Preparatory Academy (Melbourne)

• Grades 6-12, boarding and day
• Air Force traditions
• Aviation program with flight training

Sarasota Military Academy (Sarasota)

• Grades 6-12, public charter (tuition-free)
• Army JROTC program
• An alternative if FES doesn't cover enough of a private school's tuition

Other Options:

• Various JROTC-intensive public schools
• Florida Youth Challenge Academy closed in June 2026; the nearest free residential programs for teens who have left school are Georgia's two Youth Challenge campuses

Contact each school to confirm current FES participation. For the state's full range of boarding, day, and tuition-free public options, see military schools in Florida.

How Do You Apply for the FES Scholarship?

Step 1: Apply Through Step Up For Students FES-EO is administered by Step Up For Students and the AAA Scholarship Foundation. Create an account in EMA (the Education Market Assistant) at stepupforstudents.org, complete the application, and upload documentation. A single application is considered for both FTC and FES-EO.

Step 2: Document Residency Florida residents provide two proof-of-residency documents. Active-duty families with PCS orders to Florida who have not yet established residency upload the orders instead and list the receiving unit's Florida address.

Step 3: Decide Whether to Report Income Income is optional and affects priority only. Families near or below 400% of FPL generally benefit from reporting it; higher-income families can decline and be processed without priority.

Step 4: Accept the Award and Enroll Once awarded, choose a participating private school and complete its enrollment process. Step Up For Students bills the account quarterly and pays tuition and fees to the school directly.

Application Timeline

Applications are reviewed first-come, first-served within each priority tier, so applying early still matters even though eligibility is universal.

What Expenses Does FES Cover?

Step Up For Students commits the school's agreed tuition and fees first, up to the award amount. Only funds left over after that can go to other approved expenses:

• Tuition and fees at an eligible private school, or for dual enrollment and approved online providers
• Curriculum and instructional materials
• Standardized testing fees, including proctoring
• Part-time tutoring and Choice Navigator services
• Contracted services from a public school or district

Room and board is not an eligible expense. For boarding students at Admiral Farragut or Florida Prep, the scholarship offsets the academic portion of the bill; the residential cost is yours.

Combining FES with Other Funding

FES can be combined with:

• School financial aid: Apply for additional need-based aid
• 529 plans: Use for expenses not covered by FES
• GI Bill benefits: Transferable benefits for certain programs
• Payment plans: For the remaining balance after the scholarship

A student cannot hold FES-EO, FTC, FES-UA, or PEP at the same time, and cannot be enrolled in a Florida public school while using scholarship funds.

Questions to Ask the School

1. "Do you accept Florida FES-EO and FTC scholarships through Step Up For Students?"
2. "What tuition and fee figure will you enter in EMA, and what does it include?"
3. "What costs fall outside that figure — room and board, uniforms, activity fees?"
4. "Do you have experience with military families and mid-year PCS enrollments?"
5. "How do you handle the gap between the award and full tuition?"

Resources

• Step Up For Students — Application portal and 2026-27 award amounts by county
• Florida Department of Education — Program information
• Fla. Stat. § 1002.394 — The statute governing FES
• Your base Education Office — May have additional guidance

Key Takeaways

1. FES-EO is universal as of 2026-27 — every Florida K-12 student qualifies regardless of income, so the old military income carve-out no longer confers an advantage
2. Income determines priority only, in four tiers; military status is not one of them
3. What military families do get: apply on PCS orders before establishing residency, and apply any time of year outside the normal deadline
4. Awards for 2026-27 run $7,463 to $12,217 by county and grade band, averaging about $8,000, and shrink as grade level rises
5. The scholarship covers tuition and fees first; room and board at boarding schools is not covered

Next Steps

• Browse all military schools in Florida — boarding, day, and tuition-free public options
• Compare military school costs and other funding sources
• See how 529 plans work for military school expenses FES doesn't cover
• Learn how to evaluate military schools before applying