Lee County kids are funded at up to $8,779 a year for private school.
Florida's Private School Scholarship has no income test. 55 of the 71 private schools on Lee's state register take it, and a child with a qualifying diagnosis can get at least $10,567 through Unique Abilities. We lay out the amounts, the dates and the schools so you know your real cost before you tour.
Lee K-3 award for 2026-27. Grades 4-8: $8,193. Grades 9-12: $8,001. Paid to the school quarterly.
Lee private schools flagged for the scholarship, plus 50 for Unique Abilities. Each one is in our directory.
Deadline for first-time 2026-27 applications, standard award or FES-UA.
Lee students on FTC/FES-EO in 2025-26, up from 3,454 in 2022-23 (state figures reported by Gulfshore Business).
How far does the Lee award go at a typical church school?
For many Lee families the state award covers most of the bill. Here's an illustrative first grader at a Lehigh Acres Christian school with a published rate of $9,900.
Made-up example. The award figure is Step Up's published 2026-27 Lee K-3 figure; the tuition and discount are made-up round numbers because Florida doesn't collect tuition. Ask each school for its own after-scholarship price.
Which programs can a Lee County family use?
The universal award, the disability account, the home-education account, free pre-K, help from Catholic schools and individual campuses, and a new federal credit in 2027.
Florida Private School Scholarship (FTC / FES-EO)
Any K-12 student who lives in Lee County can take this award to a participating private school: $8,779 for K-3, $8,193 for grades 4-8 and $8,001 for grades 9-12 in 2026-27.
Who qualifies →Disability account · Lee matrixUnique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA)
An education account parents control, open to Lee children from age 3 to grade 12 who have a qualifying condition or IEP. The base 2026-27 Lee amount is $10,567 to $11,345 by grade band, and higher matrix levels pay more.
Who qualifies →Home-education accountPersonalized Education Program (PEP)
Florida's education savings account for students who learn outside a full-time private school: homeschool, part-week hybrid campuses, tutoring and online courses, all paid from an account the parent manages.
Who qualifies →Free · age 4Florida VPK (Free Voluntary Pre-K)
A Florida child who has turned 4 by September 1 gets one free pre-kindergarten year at a participating provider, including many Lee church preschools and private school pre-K rooms.
Who qualifies →Income-based · working familiesSchool Readiness (Child Care Assistance)
Help with child care costs for Lee parents who work or study and meet the income test. The subsidy goes straight to the center, church program or school aftercare they use.
Who qualifies →New · starts 2027Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (2027)
A new federal program funded by taxpayer donations to scholarship organizations. Florida opted in on January 28, 2026, with Step Up For Students set to operate it via its new nonprofit, the Step Up, Step Further Scholarship Fund.
Who qualifies →Beyond the tuition bill, where can scholarship money go?
FES-UA and PEP accounts, and any balance on a private school award, can pay for tutoring, therapy, curriculum, internet, lessons and testing. Each category has its own rule.
Tutoring
Paying a tutor from a scholarship account is common in Lee County, but the tutor has to hold one of the creden…
Rules →Curriculum & learning materials
For a Lee family leaving full-time school for PEP or a home-based FES-UA plan, curriculum tends to come first.…
Rules →Online classes and virtual programs
Online classes fill gaps for Lee students far from a campus that fits, or for a course their school doesn't te…
Rules →Laptops, tablets & computers
Only one Florida scholarship pays for a computer: the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA). PEP and the Priva…
Rules →Home internet
Home internet is an eligible account expense for FES-UA and PEP families in Lee, with limits on the type of se…
Rules →Speech, occupational, physical & ABA therapy
Licensed therapy is the reason many Lee families choose FES-UA: the same account can pay a school and an outsi…
Rules →Music: lessons and instruments
Music lessons and instruments are eligible electives under both of Florida's education accounts.…
Rules →Sports lessons & P.E.
Instruction counts; general memberships and group rentals usually don't.…
Rules →What happens after the funding check?
Two minutes of questions
Grade level, school preference, neighborhood and start date. It takes about two minutes and needs no paperwork.
A counselor calls you back
A tuition counselor lines up the programs your child fits, the amounts for Lee and the deadline that applies first.
You enroll with the money in place
We point you to participating schools and walk you through EMA acceptance and the quarterly enrollment dates.
Where can a Lee County scholarship be used?
All 71 private schools registered to the Lee district, with grades, affiliation, accreditation, reported enrollment and the state's participation flags.
Christian Schools
Non-denominational, Baptist, Lutheran, Assemblies of God, Pentecostal and Presbyterian schools registered in Lee County.
34 schools →Catholic, Jewish & Other Faith Schools
Diocese of Venice Catholic schools, an independent Catholic school, a Hebrew day school and other faith-based schools in Lee.
7 schools →Independent & Secular Schools
Non-religious private schools in Lee: college-prep, Montessori, Acton-model, specialized learning and small microschools.
30 schools →Unique Abilities, Autism & Learning Differences
Schools the state lists as Unique Abilities (FES-UA) participants, including Lee's autism-focused and exceptional-education campuses.
50 schools →Schools With Pre-K Classes
Lee private schools whose registered grade span starts at pre-K, where a family can ask about free VPK hours.
41 schools →High Schools (Grades 9-12)
Lee private schools whose registered grade span reaches grade 12.
47 schools →By community: Downtown Fort Myers, Dunbar & Tice · Midtown, McGregor & Cypress Lake · South Fort Myers, Iona, Daniels Parkway & Gateway · Cape Coral · North Fort Myers · Lehigh Acres & Alva · Estero · Bonita Springs
Running a school or thinking of starting one in Lee County?
Families who find you through us already know what Florida will pay. Congregations weighing a school get a practical Florida start-up path.
Will FES-UA buy a Fort Myers student a new laptop?
Yes, if your Lee child is on FES-UA: the account allows a computer once in each two-year period, and swapping it out early takes pre-authorization.
FES-UA funds can go toward a new laptop, with rules: the device has to serve the student's education and comes out of the same account as tuition and therapy. PEP and the Private School Scholarship (FTC/FES-EO) prohibit computers entirely, which can tip the choice between programs for a child with a qualifying diagnosis.
New on the Fort Myers Edu Funding blog
Dual Enrollment at FSW for Lee County Private School Students: Who Pays and Who Qualifies
College credit at no cost to the family, if your school's FSW agreement is current. The cost split, the GPA bar and the early-admission option.
Read →Oct 26, 2026Autism and Exceptional-Education Schools in Lee County: What FES-UA Pays and Who Takes It
Seven Lee schools are built around autism and exceptional education. Here's what the Unique Abilities account pays and which campuses can take it.
Read →Oct 23, 2026Catholic School in Fort Myers and Cape Coral: The Scholarship, FACTS Aid and the $1,000 Catholic Allowance
Three Diocese of Venice schools serve Lee County. Here's the order the money goes on, and the spring dates that catch families out.
Read →Lee County scholarship questions, answered
What does Florida pay toward private school for a Lee County child in 2026-27?
The Private School Scholarship (FTC/FES-EO) pays $8,779 a year for a Lee child in K-3, $8,193 for grades 4-8 and $8,001 for grades 9-12 to a participating school for a student who lives in Lee County. PEP uses the same amounts, and the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) starts at $10,567 to $11,345 in Lee.
Is there an income cap for families in Fort Myers and Cape Coral?
No. Every Florida K-12 student has been eligible since 2023, whatever the household earns. The 300%-of-poverty line only sets the order of funding if applications ever outrun the budget.
How many private schools in Lee County take the state scholarship?
The Florida DOE directory pulled October 28, 2026 lists 71 private schools in the Lee district: 55 participate in FTC/FES-EO, 50 in FES-UA and 5 in PEP.
When is the deadline to apply for 2026-27?
November 15, 2026 is the last day for a first-time applicant to the Private School Scholarship or FES-UA; acceptance in EMA follows by December 15. For 2027-28, Step Up hadn't posted dates yet, though this year's season opened on February 1.
Which Florida scholarship can buy a laptop for a Lee County student?
Just one: Unique Abilities (FES-UA), which allows a computer per two-year stretch, or earlier if Step Up pre-approves it. PEP and the Private School Scholarship prohibit computers.
See which Florida programs fit your child
Answer five short questions. A tuition counselor reviews them and calls you back with your options and dates. No fee, no obligation.