TL;DR: Palm Beach County reported 3,928 Personalized Education Program (PEP) students in 2025-26, second in Florida. PEP funds a custom mix of tutoring, curriculum and classes rather than one school's tuition. Sixteen local schools carry a PEP flag in the state directory.
What is the Personalized Education Program (PEP) in Palm Beach County?
The Personalized Education Program (PEP) is a Florida education savings account for students who learn at home or in a hybrid setting, and Palm Beach County families use it more than families in nearly every other county. Instead of paying a single school, the family receives a state-funded account and spends it on approved education costs.
Those costs can include tutoring, curriculum, testing, therapies and some classes at hybrid schools. Spending runs through the account system, and each purchase has to fall into a category the program allows. Our PEP page lists the categories and the paperwork steps.
PEP is the route for a household that wants to direct its child's learning, where the private school scholarship is the route for a household that wants a full-time school seat.
How many Palm Beach County students use PEP?
Palm Beach County had 3,928 PEP students in 2025-26, the second-highest county total in Florida. Only one county reported more.
| County | PEP students, 2025-26 |
|---|---|
| Palm Beach | 3,928 |
| Orange | 3,745 |
| Broward | 3,736 |
| Miami-Dade | 2,996 |
Palm Beach leads Orange by 183 students and Broward by 192, which is a narrow margin. These counts come from the state's published program data, and the number for 2026-27 will differ once the year's figures are released. Treat the table as a snapshot of last year, not a forecast.
Size alone does not make PEP simple. Every county on that list has families who spend months learning the account system, so a family new to it should plan to start the paperwork well before the school year, and to keep receipts for every purchase.
Which Palm Beach County schools take PEP students?
Sixteen Palm Beach County schools carry a PEP flag in the state's private school directory file we use, and they include small learning centers, arts programs and national one-to-one brands. A flag in the directory is a starting point, so a family should ask each school what its PEP students actually do, and on which days. Grade ranges also vary a lot: Tree Top Academy in Jupiter stops at grade 3, while Education Place in Wellington runs kindergarten through 12.
| School | City | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Middle and High School | Lake Park | 6-12 |
| Education Place | Wellington | K-12 |
| Faith's Place Center for Arts Education | West Palm Beach | PK-12 |
| Fusion Academy Boca Raton | Boca Raton | 4-12 |
| Fusion Academy Palm Beach Gardens | Palm Beach Gardens | 5-12 |
| M.O.T. Academy | Lake Worth Beach | K-12 |
| My Schoolhouse | Royal Palm Beach | PK-12 |
| Providence Education Group | Tequesta | K-12 |
| Somerset Academy at Avenir | Palm Beach Gardens | 6-8 |
| Somerset Virtual Academy at Canyons | Boynton Beach | 6-12 |
| Suncoast Christian Academy | Lake Worth | PK-7 |
| The Greene School | West Palm Beach | PK-12 |
| The Open Doorway | West Palm Beach | K-12 |
| The Sports Academy of Wellington | Wellington | K-12 |
| Tree Top Academy | Jupiter | PK-3 |
| West Palm Beach Junior Academy | West Palm Beach | PK-10 |
How is PEP different from the private school scholarship?
PEP pays for a customized set of education services, while the private school scholarship (FTC/FES-EO) pays toward tuition at one school. The two are separate programs with separate applications, and the rules do not stack them for the same child.
| PEP is | PEP is not |
|---|---|
| An account for approved education spending | A tuition voucher for one school |
| Built for home and hybrid learners | A full-time school placement |
| Spent purchase by purchase | Paid out in one lump sum |
| Run through the state's account system | A cash gift to parents |
A family that wants a school building, a bus line and a daily schedule will usually look at the scholarship first. A family that wants a few days of classes plus tutoring and music will usually look at PEP.
What can a Palm Beach County PEP family buy?
A PEP family can pay for the education categories the program approves, such as tutoring, curriculum, testing and some therapies, and the local options are broad. Palm Beach County has hybrid campuses in Wellington, Jupiter and Boca Raton, and many therapy and tutoring providers across the county.
The pages in our spending guide take each category in turn, from tutoring and reading help to music, art and STEM electives. Each page says what the account can and cannot pay for, because a purchase outside the approved list can be denied.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Personalized Education Program (PEP) in Palm Beach County?
The Personalized Education Program (PEP) is a Florida education savings account for students who learn at home or in a hybrid setting, and Palm Beach County families use it more than families in nearly every other county. Instead of paying a single school, the family receives a state-funded account and spends it on approved education costs.
How many Palm Beach County students use PEP?
Palm Beach County had 3,928 PEP students in 2025-26, the second-highest county total in Florida. Only one county reported more.
Which Palm Beach County schools take PEP students?
Sixteen Palm Beach County schools carry a PEP flag in the state's private school directory file we use, and they include small learning centers, arts programs and national one-to-one brands. A flag in the directory is a starting point, so a family should ask each school what its PEP students actually do, and on which days. Grade ranges also vary a lot: Tree Top Academy in Jupiter stops at grade 3, while Education Place in Wellington runs kindergarten through 12.
How is PEP different from the private school scholarship?
PEP pays for a customized set of education services, while the private school scholarship (FTC/FES-EO) pays toward tuition at one school. The two are separate programs with separate applications, and the rules do not stack them for the same child.
What can a Palm Beach County PEP family buy?
A PEP family can pay for the education categories the program approves, such as tutoring, curriculum, testing and some therapies, and the local options are broad. Palm Beach County has hybrid campuses in Wellington, Jupiter and Boca Raton, and many therapy and tutoring providers across the county.
Related questions
- What does PEP cover?
- How does homeschool funding work here?
- What can education account money buy?
- Which scholarship fits my family?
Sources
- Step Up For Students: Personalized Education Program
- Florida Department of Education: private school directory
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