Last verified: October 2026. Checked against Step Up For Students' 2026-27 award tables, handbooks and purchasing guides.
How much does the Florida Private School Scholarship pay a Lee County student in 2026-27?
A Lee student is funded at $8,779 in kindergarten through grade 3, $8,193 in grades 4 through 8, and $8,001 in high school. The Legislature sets one row of amounts for each of Florida's 67 counties, and Lee's K-3 figure ranks 32th, a little above the middle of the table. The award goes to the school in quarterly installments through Step Up For Students' EMA system once the school reports the enrollment and the parent approves it.
Is there an income limit for Fort Myers families?
No. Since the 2023 expansion, eligibility is universal. The 300%-of-poverty line still exists, but only as a priority order if applications outrun the money; a two-income Cape Coral household earning well above that line still qualifies. The program has two legal names, FES-EO (the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options) and FTC (the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship), but one application covers both.
How many Lee County private schools accept it?
In the state directory pulled on October 28, 2026, 55 of the 71 private schools registered to the Lee district carry the FTC/FES-EO participation flag. That leaves 16 that don't, including some large campuses, so check the flag on a school's page before you plan around the money.
How fast has scholarship use grown in Lee?
Quickly. Lee students using FTC or FES-EO funding rose from 3,454 in 2022-23 to 7,154 in 2025-26, and the 2025-26 total came to about $56.3 million, according to state figures reported by Gulfshore Business in September 2026. More users means popular grades at popular schools fill early.
Which organization processes the application?
Most Lee families apply through Step Up For Students. AAA Scholarship Foundation is Florida's second approved scholarship funding organization and pays the same county amounts; a family uses one or the other, not both.
| What it is | What it isn't |
|---|---|
| A per-student award paid to the school | A check or deposit to the parent |
| Open to every income level | Means-tested |
| Usable at any participating school, religious or secular | Usable at a school that hasn't registered as a participant |