NOTICE: Upcoming Scholarship/Funding Changes for 2021-22
On May 11, 2021, Governor DeSantis signed House Bill 7045 into law, resulting in several changes to the state funded scholarship programs, including an extensive expansion of the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program. Atlantis is working closely with the scholarship funding organizations, AAA Scholarship Foundation and Step Up For Students, to ensure appropriate and effective implementation of these changes.
We know you are eager to learn what these changes mean for you and your families, as some of these changes have taken effect on July 1, 2021.
Please refer to the infographic and flyer attachment below, outlining these changes in detail.
As we receive information from the Florida Department of Education or the scholarship funding organizations, we will continue to communicate important information to our families and update this webpage. Please check this page frequently for the latest information.
Please see below to view announcement letters from Atlantis Academies leadership.
Florida provides parents and families a variety of school choice options. Atlantis Academy is approved by the Florida Department of Education to participate and accept each of the following scholarship programs. These programs allow parents unprecedented choice among schools.
- McKay Scholarship
- Florida Tax Credit Scholarship
- Gardiner Scholarship
- Family Empowerment Scholarship
- Hope Scholarship
For Atlantis Virtual Academy families and applicants we encourage you to please get in touch with us to discuss the best payment options available for you, and how scholarship funds may be used.
McKay Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities
The McKay Scholarship Program allows parents to choose the best educational setting for their child. Originally created in 1999, the McKay Scholarship Program provides scholarships for eligible students with disabilities to attend a school of their choice.
McKay Funding Deadlines Calendar for School Year 2021-22:
Have questions? Email our Director of Enrollment and Outreach at: stephanie.tascillo@chancelight.com
- Eligibility for the McKay Scholarship: Find out if your child could qualify for the McKay Scholarship Program
- Apply for a McKay Scholarship
- McKay Parent Responsibilities: Parents, private schools and school districts each have specific responsibilities under the McKay Scholarship Program.
Florida Tax Credit Scholarships
To expand educational opportunities for children of families that have limited financial resources and to enable children in Florida to achieve greater levels of excellence in their education, the Florida Legislature created the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship in 2001. The law provides for state tax credits for contributions to nonprofit scholarship funding organizations (SFOs). The SFOs then award scholarships to eligible children of low-income families.
Gardiner Scholarship
The Gardiner Scholarship Program provides eligible students a scholarship that can be used for specialized services including tuition at an eligible private school. The program is directly administered by state-approved nonprofit scholarship funding organizations. This scholarship is for Florida students 3 years old through 12th grade or age 22, whichever comes first, with one of the following disabilities:
- Anaphylaxis
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Cerebral Palsy
- Deaf
- Down Syndrome
- Dual Sensory Impaired
- Hospital or Homebound (as defined by the rules of the State Board of Education and evidenced by reports from local school districts)
- Intellectual Disability (severe cognitive impairment)
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Phelan McDermid Syndrome
- Prader-Willi Syndrome
- Rare Diseases (as defined by the National Organization for Rare Disorders)
- Spina Bifida
- Three to Five-year-olds who are deemed high-risk due to developmental delays
- Traumatic Brain Injured
- Visually Impaired
- Williams Syndrome
The Scholarship Funding Organizations listed below are approved to administer the Gardiner Scholarship Program. Contact the SFO for instructions and deadlines for applying for a scholarship.
Family Empowerment Scholarship
The Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) Program was created in 2019 for low-income and working class families, and it is the first of its kind to extend support to middle-income families. The FES Program puts parents and families in the driver’s seat to determine the best educational environment for their children.
The Scholarship Funding Organizations listed below are approved to administer the Family Empowerment Scholarship. Contact the SFO for instructions and deadlines for applying for a scholarship.
The Hope Scholarship
Beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, a student enrolled in a Florida public school in kindergarten through 12th grade who has been subjected to an incident of battery; harassment; hazing; bullying; kidnapping; physical attack; robbery; sexual offenses, harassment, assault, or battery; threat or intimidation; or fighting at school, has the opportunity to enroll in an approved private school under the Hope Scholarship. For the 2019-20 school year, Step Up for Students is the only Scholarship Funding Organization administering this scholarship program.
