Veritas Scholars Academy in Florida
Online School in Florida
If you’re comparing online schools in Florida, you’re asking important questions about your child’s mind, faith, and future. Veritas Scholars Academy gives Florida families live classes with expert teachers and fellow students, a classical Christian education from kindergarten through 12th grade, and an accredited diploma, all from home.
- Pre-approved Florida scholarship provider
- Accredited by Middle States
- Live classes, grades 3-12
- Every class recorded
- Classical and Christian
- Enroll year-round
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Classical Christian Education, From Pensacola to Miami
Florida families have more school choices than almost anyone in the country, and that freedom is a gift. It can also mean weeks of research. If you’ve been comparing programs late at night and still aren’t sure what fits your child, you’re in good company.
Here’s what sets VSA apart. Veritas Press has helped families teach classically for more than 30 years, and Veritas Scholars Academy brings that education into a live online classroom. Students walk through history in order, beginning with Creation, read the great books, learn Latin, and grow in their ability to think, reason, and speak well. Every class is taught from a Christian worldview, by teachers who know their students by name.
Families choose how much VSA to bring home:
- Full-Time Diploma Program. A full course load with VSA, a personal Academic Advisor, and an accredited diploma and transcript at graduation.
- Part-Time live classes. Many Florida homeschool families keep teaching most subjects and add a few live courses where a seasoned teacher and real classmates make the biggest difference.
How VSA Works Under Florida Law
Florida’s options can look like a maze at first, and it’s natural to worry about choosing the wrong one. Here’s the key fact: the Florida Department of Education treats a private school outside Florida, like VSA, as a curriculum choice. So most VSA families meet Florida’s attendance law in one of two ways.
The Most Common Path
A Home Education Program
- File a notice of intent with your county superintendent within 30 days of starting (Fla. Stat. §1002.41). You file it once.
- Keep a portfolio: a log of your child’s learning with the titles of reading materials, plus samples of their work. Keep it for two years.
- File an annual evaluation, such as a Florida-certified teacher’s review of the portfolio or a nationally normed test.
- File a notice of termination when your home education program ends.
VSA’s assignment sheets, graded work, and teacher comments make the portfolio and evaluation straightforward.
Another Option
A Florida Umbrella School
Some families enroll in a Florida private school, often called an umbrella school, that keeps attendance and records for its families. Your child is then a private school student, so there’s no notice of intent, portfolio, or annual evaluation to file with the district. VSA courses can make up part or all of your child’s studies.
Your Family Consultant can help you decide which path fits your family.
Using a PEP scholarship? Florida’s Personalized Education Program is legally separate from a home education program. PEP students follow a Student Learning Plan and take an annual norm-referenced test, and families moving from home education to PEP file a notice of termination. A Family Consultant can walk you through the timing. How switching to VSA works
For the full picture of Florida homeschool law, see our guide to homeschooling in Florida.
A Diploma That Opens Doors
Florida doesn’t issue diplomas to home education students. A parent’s notarized affidavit of completion serves as the legal equivalent. Many college-bound families still prefer an accredited diploma and transcript, and it’s one of the most common reasons Florida families choose VSA’s Diploma Program.
An Accredited Diploma
Full-Time Diploma students graduate with a diploma and official transcript from a school accredited by the Middle States Association since 2014. Honors, AP, and dual enrollment courses appear on the transcript with a weighted GPA.
Ready for College
VSA graduates have gone on to schools such as Harvard, Hillsdale, Wheaton, Grove City, and New Saint Andrews. Your child’s Academic Advisor helps plan a course of study with their college goals in mind.
College Credit and NCAA
Eligible high school students can earn college credit through our dual enrollment partnership with Cairn University. VSA courses are also NCAA-approved (high school code 392122), a big help for Florida’s many student athletes.
What VSA Costs for a Florida Family
VSA tuition is priced by the course: a live Secondary course is $829 for the year, and a live Grammar course is $729. Full-Time Diploma students add a yearly enrollment fee for advising, records, and transcripts. Here are typical yearly totals.
| Plan | Yearly tuition | Paid in full | Monthly plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-Time Grammar3 live courses + 3 You Teach Diploma courses + Premium Diploma enrollment | $2,786 | $2,711 | $884 at registration, then 9 payments of about $211.33 April 1 through December 1 |
| Full-Time Secondary5 live courses + 1 lab science + Premium Diploma enrollment | $5,828 | $5,678 | $1,299 at registration, then 9 payments of about $503.22 April 1 through December 1 |
| Part-Time2 live courses | $1,658 | $1,608 | $190 at registration, then 9 payments of about $163.11 April 1 through December 1 |
Families can pay in full and save on each course, or spread tuition across monthly payments with no interest. VSA scholarships are available, too. Learn about financial aid
Florida Scholarships
Pre-Approved in EMA
Florida offers several scholarships through Step Up For Students, including the Personalized Education Program (PEP) for home-educated students, FES-EO and the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (about $8,000 on average), and FES-UA for students with unique abilities (about $10,000 on average).
Veritas Press is pre-approved in the EMA portal, so families can pay Veritas directly or request reimbursement. A Family Consultant can help you see which Veritas programs your scholarship can cover.
A Common Question
“Is Online School in Florida Free?”
VSA is a private school, so there is tuition. For the value of that tuition, families receive a classical education taught from a Christian worldview, live classes with teachers who know their students by name, and an accredited diploma.
And because VSA is priced by the course, many families find it costs well under the national average for private school tuition.
What a Week Looks Like for Florida Students
Online school can be hard to picture until you see it. Here’s what a typical week looks like.
Live Classes, Twice a Week
Each live course meets twice a week at a set time, with the same teacher and up to 20 classmates all year. Students raise their hands, answer questions, and discuss ideas together.
Never Behind
Every class is recorded. If a hurricane knocks out the power or a tournament takes your athlete out of town, your child watches the recording and stays on track.
Between classes, much of the work happens with books, paper, and pencil. Younger students sing their way through history and chant their Latin vocabulary. Older students read Homer and Augustine, work through formal logic, and learn to write and defend arguments of their own, the classical stages Dorothy Sayers described in “The Lost Tools of Learning” (1947).
Learning to Think Out Loud, Together
One of the biggest gifts of live classes is other students: classmates who’ve read the same book and want to talk about it. VSA students see the same classmates every week, and friendships grow from there. Clubs, field trips, and our End-of-Year Gathering bring students together outside class, and your child may find classmates across Florida and across the country.
My sweet girl had always been very opinionated and headstrong, and homeschooling her was quite the challenge for me… She has grown more confident in her ability to communicate calmly and discuss and debate issues without getting emotionally involved.
Brandy H., parent of a VSA senior
Getting Started, One Step at a Time
Talk With a Family Consultant
Tell us about your child and your goals. A Family Consultant replies within 24 hours and can walk you through Florida’s options and scholarships alongside your course plan.
Apply and Find the Right Placement
We review your child’s records, and we may ask for a short placement test so your child starts in the right courses.
Take Care of Florida Paperwork
File your notice of intent with your county superintendent within 30 days, enroll through a Florida umbrella school, or set up your PEP scholarship.
Build Your Child’s Plan
Full-Time students meet with an Academic Advisor to plan their courses and register for classes.
Questions Florida Families Ask
Is online school free in Florida?
Florida has tuition-free public virtual options, which follow state standards and teach from a secular perspective. VSA is a private school with tuition, priced by the course, and offers a classical Christian education with live teachers and an accredited diploma. Many Florida families also use a state scholarship to help pay for Veritas. See what VSA costs.
How much does online school cost in Florida?
It depends on the school and your child’s plan. At VSA, you pay for each live course, plus a yearly enrollment fee for Full-Time Diploma students. Our tuition calculator shows your real yearly number in a few minutes. Build your child’s plan.
Do I need to file a Letter of Intent if my child attends VSA?
Usually, yes. The Florida Department of Education treats an out-of-state private school as a curriculum choice for a home education student, so most VSA families register a home education program by filing a notice of intent with their county superintendent within 30 days of starting. The exceptions are families who enroll through a Florida private school (often called an umbrella school) and families using a PEP scholarship, which has its own requirements.
What are Florida’s homeschool laws?
Families in a home education program file a notice of intent with their county superintendent within 30 days of starting, keep a portfolio (a log of activities with the titles of reading materials and samples of work) for two years, and file an annual evaluation. The evaluation can be a certified teacher’s portfolio review, a nationally normed test, a state assessment, a licensed psychologist’s evaluation, or another method the superintendent agrees to. When the program ends, families file a notice of termination.
Can I use a Florida scholarship at Veritas?
Veritas Press is a pre-approved provider in Step Up For Students’ EMA portal, so families can pay Veritas directly or request reimbursement. Which Veritas programs your scholarship can cover depends on whether you use PEP, FES-EO, FTC, or FES-UA, so we recommend talking it through with a Family Consultant. Using a Florida scholarship with Veritas Press.
Is VSA accredited?
Yes. VSA is accredited by the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS), and our accreditation applies to students wherever they live, including Florida. How accreditation works at VSA.
What time are classes in Florida?
Class times are listed in Eastern Time, the same time zone as most of Florida, so the time you see is the time your child logs on. In the western Panhandle, which is on Central Time, classes start one hour earlier than the listed time. Courses are usually offered at several times, so families can choose what fits.
Can my child start in the middle of the year?
Yes. VSA welcomes new students throughout the year. Students can join classes in progress, catch up with recorded lessons, and work with their teachers on any makeup work. How switching works.
Let’s Build Your Florida School Plan Together
A Family Consultant would love to hear your child’s story, walk you through Florida’s options and scholarships, and help you find the right next step, whether that’s next month or next fall.
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More About VSA
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Switching Schools
How families move to VSA mid-year or next fall, from first call to first class.
See how switching works
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Tuition
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Also helpful: Elementary · Middle School · High School · Diploma Program · ESAs and School Choice