There
are several scholarships available specifically for students attending
or planning to attend a private high school in the US state of
Florida. Most of these are tuition scholarships, though some
cover other expenses, too. Most are need-based, though some are
merit-based, and some are a combination of the two. Check our general private school scholarships
page, too. The scholarships listed below are those that are
specifically for students in Florida. This doesn't mean that
Florida high school students cannot get other (more generic
scholarships) that are available not only for Florida students but also
students from other states.
1) Children
First Florida (update:
current name: "Step Up for Students"):
Scholarships
available to cover tuition and book expenses. (Book expense coverage is
up to a 25% of the tuition expenses, or up to $4,000. Nearly 1,000
schools in Florida are covered, and approximately 10,000 students
receive scholarships every year. These scholarships are renewable, as
long as the financial situation of the family does not change
tremendously. Children's First Florida also has some public school
scholarships, which cover up to $500 public transportation expenses.
Students living in 43 counties of Florida are qualified for these
scholarships; these include all of north, east and central florida. Update:
Children First Florida is merging with the Florida Pride (see
scholarship #3 below), under the same name of Step Up for Students;
therefore, you should apply on that website (see more info under #3
Florida Pride below).
Website: www.stepupforstudents.org
2) The Carrie Meek Scholarship Foundation:
Associated
with the Florida's Children First. Scholarships of up to $3950 are
available for low income families. There are currently (2009) around
23,000 students on the scholarship. As with the FCF, public school
scholarships of $500 are also available for public
transportation. To apply, the student must be living in one
of
the following counties: Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Dade, De
Soto, Dixie, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough,
Lee, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk,
Sarasota, Sumter.
Website:
www.carriemeekscholarship.org
3) Florida Pride Scholarships (update:
current name: "Step Up For Students"):
Florida
Pride is one of the three main foundations providing scholarships to
Florida students, together with Children First Florida and The Carrie
Meek Scholarship Foundation (see #1 and #2 above), and provides similar
amounts of scholarships, and has similar criteria. However, for the
2009-2010 academic year, Children First Florida and Florida Pride are
merging under the same name to serve the whole state of Florida: The
new name will be Step Up for Students. Though the Carrie Meek
Scholarships Foundation and the new Step Up For Students Program has
similar application criteria, they differ in terms of the counties they
serve. The following counties are supported by the new Step
up
For Students award: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward,
Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, Dade, DeSoto,
Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades,
Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough,
Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon,
Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe,
Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco,
Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Jones, St.
Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton,
Wahington.
Website:
www.stepupforstudents.org
4) The McKay Scholarships Program:
These
are scholarships for students with disabilities in Florida.
Any
parent or child with a disability who has an Individual Education Plan
(IEP) can apply as long as they meet certain criteria such as spending
the prior school year in a Florida public school, and parent's
acceptance of admission to a private school. At the time of application
to the McKay scholarships, the student should still be enrolled in a
public school in Florida; so make sure you don't withdraw your
registration before ensuring the scholarship! These are long term
scholarships which remain in effect until either the student graduates
from high school, returns to public school, or reaches the age of 22.
Website:
www.floridaschoolschoice.org/Intent/McKay/mckay_intent.asp
