Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES)
The Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) is a scholarship program offered by the State of Florida through the Department of Education. It is intended for low-income and working-class families. It is new and was created following the 2019 legislative session, when Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 7070. It aims to provide life-changing scholarships to 18,000 students throughout the state and to help them achieve academic and career success.
For eligibility requirements and information about beginning the application process, refer to the Florida Department of Education's Family Empowerment Scholarship program page at http://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/k-12-scholarship-programs/fes/.
Department Contact:
Office Specialist
Dena Ingram Ext. 50911
Data Analyst
Nicole R. Yates Ext. 50910
Students using the McKay Scholarship public school option will be able to continue doing so under the FES-UA public school option.
Please note, there is no scholarship funding for the district FES-UA public school option, only an option to attend a different public school than the zoned school. If your child is currently receiving the FES UA scholarship funds from the State of Florida, your child should not be enrolled in any public or charter school.
Public FES-UA only offers a different public school option for the student. There is no additional funding nor are additional services provided to the public school for a student who is there on a public FES-UA transfer option.
Siblings may be eligible to transfer with the student who is granted the FES-UA Scholarship Transfer, so long as the school has an available seat for the sibling and is not over capacity.
Prior to the approval of a public FES-UA Scholarship, the student's data will be reviewed.
Parents choosing the public school option of the FES-UA Scholarships Program are responsible for acknowledging and following the details below regarding public school FES-UA Scholarships.
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Parents must complete a School Choice Application and a current IEP to request a public school option.
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Volusia County Schools does not provide a list of public FES-UA schools because the schools may change.
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School offers will be based on ESE program availability, transportation routes, student residence, school grade, etc.
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ESE students who require intensive and/or specially designed services may not be approved for a public FES-UA transfer due to the need for a specific setting as determined by the IEP Team.
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Parents who accept the offered public FES-UA school must withdraw their child from their current school.
*** The District FES-UA public option transfer is no longer valid once there is a break of service from the offered Public FES-UA school. The student would need to apply for a new transfer to return to a school for which a transfer was previously granted.
***Public FES-UA Scholarship students who in grade 5 and 8 must have a new public request submitted for transition to the middle school or high school if parent wants a public FES-UA for those grade levels***
***Public FES-UA Scholarship students who are dismissed from ESE must withdraw from the FES-UA public school by the end of the nine weeks, then must return to the zoned public school as they are no longer eligible for the FES-UA Scholarship***