Tuition & Scholarships
$8,000 tuition. $0 out of pocket for most families.
Florida's Step Up For Students scholarship covers the full cost of SWREA tuition for most eligible families. We'll walk you through every step.
Tuition
$8,000
per student / year
Avg Step Up award
$8,000
FES-EO and FTC
Your out-of-pocket
$0
for most eligible families
This isn't a discount or a coupon — Step Up For Students is a state-funded scholarship program available to every K-12 Florida resident eligible to attend public school. For most families, it covers the full cost of SWREA.
Three programs
Which scholarship is for you?
SWREA is an approved Step Up partner for all three Florida scholarship programs that pay private-school tuition.
FES-EO
Most familiesFamily Empowerment Scholarship — Educational Options
Any K-12 Florida resident eligible for public school. Priority for households at or below 185% of the federal poverty level.
Avg award
~$8,000
FTC
Florida Tax Credit Scholarship
Income-prioritized. Funded by corporate tax-credit donations and used at participating private schools.
Avg award
~$8,000
FES-UA
Family Empowerment Scholarship — Unique Abilities
Students ages 3–22 with one of ~20 qualifying disabilities (autism, Down syndrome, specific learning disability, speech impairment, and others).
Avg award
~$10,000
Timeline
From apply to enrolled.
01
Applications open Feb 1
Step Up For Students opens the application window in early February for the following school year.
02
Apply at SWREA in parallel
Submit our 2-minute application. We'll coordinate with you on scholarship docs as you go.
03
Approval in 2–6 weeks
Step Up reviews your application and notifies you of approval. Income docs speed up priority placement.
04
Enroll and route funds
We match your scholarship to SWREA in EMA. The state invoices the school directly; you pay any gap.
Common questions
The things parents ask first.
What if my income is above the priority bracket?
Since Florida's 2023 universal expansion, FES-EO is available to any K-12 Florida resident regardless of income. Priority placement (≤185% FPL) just goes first in the queue; broader eligibility (≤400% FPL and above) follows.
What if my scholarship isn't approved by the time school starts?
We never penalize a family for a Step Up timing delay. We'll work with you so your child starts on day one and the scholarship gets routed once approved.
Does Step Up cover the full $8,000?
For most K-5 families, yes — the average FES-EO / FTC award is approximately $8,000, which matches our tuition. Some families have a small out-of-pocket; some pay zero.
Are there fees besides tuition?
We work to keep tuition the full picture. Any additional fees (materials, field trips) are itemized clearly and disclosed in your enrollment packet — not buried in the fine print.
How do I apply for the scholarship?
Start at stepupforstudents.org and create an EMA account. We'll walk you through the rest on your admissions call. You can submit your SWREA application before or after starting the Step Up process.
We'll walk you through it.
Start your SWREA application now. We'll call within one business day and guide you through the Step Up application step by step.
Apply Now