Florida
Income-Based Scholarships
Florida k-12 Private School Scholarships for Income-Eligible Students
If your child is struggling in their current school and you think you can’t afford to put them into a good private school, let us help! We have state-approved scholarships to help pay for tuition, books, and fees at private k-12 schools for income-eligible students. No waiting lists!
Here are 2 ways to apply for a scholarship with AAA:
1. Paper Scholarship Application (English) (Espanol)
2. Online Scholarship Application
Application Submission Deadline* Extended to 1/31/2020 (Subject to change)
*by law, there is no application submission deadline for members of the United States Armed Forces but this does not mean that funding for eligible students is guaranteed.
More helpful information (scroll down for how scholarships are awarded):
– Household Income/Financial Resources Table
– Scholarship Value Tables
– Check the Status of Your Submitted 2019-20 Application
– Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Handbook
– Collection and Use of Social Security Numbers
– AAA Email – fldocs@aaascholarships.org
– Link to IRS Get Transcript Website for copies of Income Tax Returns or W-2 Information
Need help finding a school?
– Link to FL Department of Education Private School Directory – Click Here
– Need help finding a school? GreatSchools.org may be able to help.
Family Empowerment Scholarship – Submission deadline was 8/15/19
– Check the Status of Your Submitted 2019-20 Application
– Family Empowerment Scholarship FAQ
– Family Empowerment Scholarship Flyer
– Family Empowerment Scholarship Email – Claire.Padgett@fldoe.org
Florida
Foster / Out-of-Home Care Scholarship
Foster / Out-of-Home Care Application – No Submission Deadline*
Florida Scholarship Handbook
Florida Foster / Out-of-Home Care Flyer
Link to FL DOE Private School Directory – Click Here
– Collection and Use of Social Security Numbers
Email – fldocs@aaascholarships.org
Florida
Disability-Based Scholarship (Gardiner Scholarship)
– Gardiner Scholarship Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
– 2020-21 Scholarship Applications – Check back here in March 2020 for updates
– 2019-20 Scholarship Applications – Closed – Submission Deadline was 8/19/19
– Check the status of your 2019-20 submitted application
– Gardiner Scholarship Handbook
– Gardiner Scholarship Payment Forms
– Link to FL DOE Private School Directory – Click Here
– Need help finding a school? GreatSchools.org may be able to help
– Link to FL DOE FAQs about homeschooling
– Collection and Use of Social Security Numbers
– Email – plsa@aaascholarships.org
– 2019-2020 Gardiner Private School Payment Schedule – Click Here
How Florida k-12 Private School Scholarships are Awarded
Step 1) Apply with us.
In order to prove their eligibility, households must complete AAA’s application and provide supporting documentation by the stated deadline. The households must meet both the state and AAA’s requirements (click here for the 2019-20 Florida income chart). Each household member is required to provide proof of income. AAA does not rely on a household’s enrollment in a state food assistance or TANF program as proof of eligibility, a process sometimes referred to as “direct certification,” since those programs audit less than 3 percent of their recipient households.
In Florida, the household must reapply annually by the stated deadline.
Step 2) We notify you of your eligibility determination for the Florida k-12 Private School Scholarship.
Processing of applications is typically completed within ten to twelve weeks once ALL required documentation has been received. Parents can check the status of their application by clicking on the “Check the Status of your Application” link.
If there is anything that we need from you in order to make an eligibility determination, we will contact you via email. Please be sure to check your email if your status is “On-Hold”. Once applications are in the “Completed” status, a determination letter will be mailed to the address on file within four to six weeks.
Households that are determined eligible AND have received funding for the upcoming school year will receive 1) a Scholarship Award Letter and 2) a School Commitment Form (SCF) in the mail directly from AAA. Those that are determined ineligible will receive a denial letter in the mail directly from AAA.
Please DO NOT enroll your student into a private school until you have actually received an AAA Scholarship Award Letter and SCF. Funding is not guaranteed. If you enroll your student before receipt of an SCF, you will be responsible for their tuition and fees and you may not qualify for future scholarship funding.
Step 3) If eligible, you tell us that you accept the Florida k-12 Private School Scholarship.
The use of a scholarship cannot be postponed. The household must find an eligible private school for their student(s) as soon as they receive a scholarship award letter and SCF. Failure to meet the deadline stated on the SCF will result in the forfeiture of the awarded scholarship. Families should make a copy of the blank SCF before taking it to an eligible private school in case they decide to transfer to a different eligible private school later in the year. By completing the school enrollment form, both the parents and the schools agree to abide by the terms of the AAA Parent/School Handbooks.
Schools should not accept any students without an SCF unless the household: 1) is willing to self-pay their tuition and fees until they are awarded a scholarship and 2) will self-pay if they are not. If a household receives an SCF in error or their eligibility is revoked, the private school that has enrolled the student will be notified as soon as possible. By accepting the scholarship student(s) and scholarship payment(s) the private school agrees to repay any incorrectly made or overpayment of funds on behalf of the student(s), regardless of the reason. Households that document eligibility but are placed on a waitlist do not have a scholarship unless they receive a Scholarship Award Letter and SCF at a later date.
Step 4) Florida k-12 Private School Scholarship payments are disbursed during the year.
Four times during the school year, AAA sends the school a verification form to ascertain whether the student remains enrolled and is current on any funds personally owed to the school. If the verification report is returned to us by the deadline, AAA then disburses one-quarter of the scholarship award in the form of a check, made payable to the parent/guardian but for deposit only by the school. The parent/guardian must restrictively endorse the check over to the school before it can be deposited.
Scholarship Values
The maximum value of an awarded scholarship is determined by each state. Beginning in 2019-2020, the Florida k-12 Private School Scholarships are awarded as follows:
For renewing students, the award is the greater of these two values:
- 95% of the funds allocated per unweighted FTE (base-level + all categorical programs) per grade level and district (click here for the district award values) – OR –
- the values listed here:
- K – 5th grade – $6,519
- 6th – 8th grade – $6,815
- 9th – 12th grade – $7,112
For new students, the award is equal to 95% of the funds allocated per unweighted FTE (base-level + all categorical programs) per grade level and district (click here for the district award values).