Florida School Choice: Creating Flexible Pathways with EDUCATE + Summit Prep Academy

Education does not have to look the same for every student.

Across Florida, families have access to a growing number of educational options that allow them to choose learning environments that better reflect their student’s needs, goals, and everyday life.

Through our partnership with Summit Prep Academy, EDUCATE.NETWORK is helping bring that flexibility to students and families in Florida by combining structured academics with hybrid learning, community connection, mentorship, and in-person support.

The goal is simple:

Give students a strong academic foundation while creating more flexibility in how, where, and why they learn.

EDUCATE + Summit Prep Academy

EDUCATE.NETWORK has partnered with Summit Prep Academy to provide families in Florida with another way to think about school.

Summit Prep Academy’s hybrid model combines structured curriculum and guided instruction with the flexibility for students to learn both on campus and at home. Students can participate in in-person instruction, collaboration, and hands-on learning during campus days while continuing supported academic work outside of the traditional classroom.

Through this partnership, students can experience an environment centered around:

• Flexible academic pathways

• In-person learning and support

• Small-group collaboration

• Mentorship and community

• Hands-on experiences

• Individual academic progress

• College and career preparation

It is an approach designed to provide structure without requiring every student to learn in exactly the same way.

A Hybrid Approach to Education

For many families, the choice between traditional school and homeschooling can feel like an either-or decision.

Hybrid learning creates another option.

Students can benefit from the independence and flexibility of learning from home while still having access to educators, peers, mentors, and a physical learning community.

At Summit Prep Academy, students attend campus multiple days each week for instruction, collaboration, and hands-on learning while completing supported learning activities at home on non-campus days.

That balance can give students opportunities to develop academically while still having more flexibility for family life, extracurricular activities, career exploration, and individual interests.

Florida Gives Families More Educational Choice

Florida has established several K–12 scholarship programs designed to give families greater flexibility in choosing educational opportunities for their children.

Two programs families exploring personalized or hybrid education may encounter are the Personalized Education Program (PEP) and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA).

These programs are administered through approved Scholarship Funding Organizations, including Step Up For Students.

Personalized Education Program — PEP

The Personalized Education Program Scholarship provides eligible Florida families with an education savings account that can be used for approved educational expenses.

PEP is designed for students whose education is directed by a parent or guardian rather than through full-time enrollment in a traditional public or private school. Approved expenses can include curriculum, instructional materials, tutoring, certain hybrid educational programs, and other qualifying educational services.

For families interested in a more flexible educational pathway, programs like PEP can provide additional options for building an educational experience around the individual student.

Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities — FES-UA

The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities provides eligible students with disabilities access to an education savings account.

Families can use approved funds toward qualifying services and educational resources such as private-school tuition and fees, online learning programs, tutoring, educational materials, higher-education expenses, and other approved customized learning services.

Funding varies based on factors including the student’s grade level, county of residence, and level of services needed.

How Can Scholarship Funding Support a Flexible Education?

Florida’s education savings account programs are designed to give families more control over how educational dollars are used.

Depending on the scholarship and the student’s eligibility, approved expenses may include things such as:

• Curriculum and instructional materials

• Tutoring

• Online learning

• Educational technology and resources

• Approved extracurricular or enrichment opportunities

• Certain hybrid programs

• Private-school tuition and fees

• Specialized educational services

Families should always verify that a specific school, provider, service, or expense qualifies under their scholarship before committing funds.

2026–27 Florida Scholarship Dates

Families interested in scholarships should pay close attention to annual application deadlines.

For the 2026–27 school year, PEP applications for both new and renewing families were open from February 1 through April 30, 2026, and are now closed for the current school year. Step Up For Students is allowing families to sign up for updates regarding the 2027–28 application period.

For FES-UA, renewal applications also ran February 1 through April 30, while new-family applications may continue through November 15, 2026, subject to program availability and eligibility.

Because scholarship rules and deadlines can change from year to year, families should check current information directly through Step Up For Students before beginning the application process.

How Much Scholarship Funding Is Available?

Scholarship amounts are established annually and can vary by student.

PEP award amounts vary based on factors such as the student’s grade level and county, while FES-UA funding may also take into account the student’s level of services. Step Up For Students has published current 2026–27 scholarship amount charts for families who want to estimate available funding.

Rather than focusing only on the dollar amount, we encourage families to first consider:

What kind of learning environment will help my student succeed?

From there, scholarship programs may help families access resources that support that pathway.

More Than Online School

The EDUCATE.NETWORK and Summit Prep Academy partnership is about more than putting coursework online.

It is about creating an educational community.

Students have opportunities to interact with educators and peers, receive guidance, participate in hands-on learning, and develop meaningful relationships while maintaining the flexibility of a hybrid academic model.

At the Florida partner location in Leesburg, Summit Prep Academy also provides a Christ-centered, community-based environment with academic support, mentorship, and spiritual encouragement.

For families seeking that type of environment, it creates an opportunity to combine academics, community, values, and flexibility in one educational experience.

Building Education Around the Student

Florida’s school-choice programs demonstrate something we strongly believe at EDUCATE.NETWORK:

Families deserve options.

Some students thrive in traditional schools.

Others need greater flexibility.

Some benefit from smaller learning communities, mentorship, hands-on experiences, or the ability to complete academics partly from home.

There does not have to be one definition of what school looks like.

Through our partnership with Summit Prep Academy, we are helping create another pathway for Florida students—one that combines flexibility with structure, independence with support, and academics with meaningful community.

Learning Designed Around the Student.

Explore the EDUCATE.NETWORK + Summit Prep Academy partnership and learn more about Florida enrollment opportunities at educate.network.