About the Hope Scholarship

The Hope Scholarship is for students in grades kindergarten through 12 who are enrolled in a Florida public school and have been bullied, harassed, assaulted, threatened and or other violent acts to transfer to another public school or enroll in an approved private school.
The Hope Scholarship is a state-sponsored program that offers students in public K-12 schools an option to transfer to another public school or a private school, subject to the availability of space.

The Hope Scholarship is administered by the Office of Acceleration and Innovation.

Steps to Apply

Step 1

Report an alleged incident to the child’s current school

Step 2

Complete the Hope Scholarship forms provided by the school

Or

Download the form from the Florida Department of Education. Bring this form to your child’s current school for the principal’s signature and to obtain the transfer request form.

Step 3

To transfer to another public school, please forward the completed Hope Scholarship form and the transfer request form to the Office of Acceleration & Innovation.

Office of Acceleration & Innovation
attn. HOPE SCHOLARSHIP
P.O.Box 391
Bartow, Fl 33831

Please note that your child will not be eligible for Polk County Public School transportation to the transfer school.

Step 4

To request a transfer to a private school, follow the steps provided by the Florida Department of Education.

Access the Hope Scholarship Application (IEPC-HS1) on The Hope Scholarship.

Eligibility

Under Hope Scholarship law, a student is eligible for a scholarship once one of the incidents listed below has been reported to the school.

  • Battery
  • Harassment
  • Hazing
  • Bullying
  • Kidnapping
  • Physical attack
  • Robbery
  • Sexual offense
  • Sexual harassment
  • Assault
  • Threat or intimidation
  • Fighting
The Hope Scholarship