TL;DR: Florida lets children of active-duty service members apply for the Private School or PEP scholarship at any point in the school year, and for 2026-27 that runs to April 15, 2027. PCS orders can serve as proof of Florida residency. Jacksonville has several bases and at least one school that has been recognized for serving military families.
Can a Jacksonville military family apply for a Florida scholarship after November 15?
Yes. Step Up For Students lists dependents of active-duty service members among the groups that can apply outside the standard window, and parents no longer have to call Step Up to open the application. A military family that arrives in January, or receives orders in March, still has a route to $8,409 for a K-3 child in Duval.
The exception has its own dates for 2026-27: apply by April 15, 2027, submit required documents by April 22, and accept the award and enroll through EMA by May 15. Funding on the exception route is not guaranteed, so earlier is better.
| Step | Standard family | Active-duty dependent |
|---|---|---|
| Apply by | Nov 15, 2026 | Apr 15, 2027 |
| Documents | With the application | Apr 22, 2027 |
| Accept and enroll | Dec 15, 2026 | May 15, 2027 |
How does a PCS family prove Florida residency for a Duval scholarship?
An active-duty applicant who has no Florida address yet uploads the PCS orders in the proof-of-residency section, and the address in the guardian profile has to match the unit address on the orders. After the family finds housing, it calls Step Up at (877) 735-7837 to update the proof, and funds are held until that is done.
A renewing student whose home of record is Florida but who has orders out of state sends the orders plus a Leave and Earnings Statement and either IRS Form 2058 (Domicile) or DFAS Form 702. A family that is not military follows the standard rule of two different document types, such as a driver's license, lease, utility bill or property tax statement.
Which bases bring military families to Duval County?
Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport and Blount Island Command are the installations we mention here. The Navy School Liaison office at NAS Jacksonville, in Building 2069 on Mustin Road, helps families compare public, private and DoD options and can be reached at 904-778-2236. Its Military OneSource page names the public schools that serve on-base housing (Venetia Elementary, Westside Middle and Riverside High) and says Duval provides bus transportation, but it does not list private schools.
Do any Duval private schools say they serve military families?
The Diocese of St. Augustine runs a Friends of the Military page for families whose parents serve and points them to Step Up for state funding. In 2024 Step Up profiled a Marine family at Blount Island Command whose son used the Florida Tax Credit scholarship at St. Paul's Catholic School in Riverside, a state-designated Purple Star school with 23 military families enrolled at the time. Designations can change, so ask any school directly.
Duval's 17 Catholic schools all carry the FTC/FES-EO participant flag, and the military families guide lists the full set of steps.
What should a military family ask a Duval private school before enrolling?
- Can you enroll my child mid-year under the exception timeline, and by which quarterly date?
- Do you work with Step Up, AAA or both for the scholarship payments?
- What is tuition after the Duval award, and what happens to unpaid tuition if our orders move us?
- Do you have a staff contact for military families, or a record of enrolling them?
The Beaches communities, closest to Naval Station Mayport, list 10 registered schools, and 9 of them take the award. The Westside, which includes much of the area around NAS Jacksonville, lists 27 and 18 take it. ZIP groupings in the state record are not base boundaries, so use them as a starting point. A military child in Duval receives the same county figure as anyone else: $8,409 (K-3), $7,821 (4-8) or $7,629 (9-12).
Does the county where a military family lives change the scholarship amount?
Yes, because the award follows the district where the child lives, not the school or the base. A family housed in Duval uses the Duval figures of $8,409, $7,821 and $7,629, while a family renting across the line in Clay, St. Johns or Nassau County uses that county's row. Step Up publishes the full table each year, and our award pages list the neighboring counties next to Duval.
Housing choices on a move are often made before school choices, so check the county row first. A difference of a few hundred dollars is small against tuition, but it is worth knowing before you sign a lease.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Jacksonville military family apply for a Florida scholarship after November 15?
Yes, dependents of active-duty service members can apply for the Private School or PEP scholarship any time during the school year, through April 15, 2027 for 2026-27.
How does a PCS family prove Florida residency for a Duval scholarship?
PCS orders can be uploaded as proof of residency, with the profile address matching the unit address on the orders.
Do any Duval private schools say they serve military families?
The Diocese of St. Augustine has a Friends of the Military page, and Step Up profiled St. Paul's Catholic School in Riverside as a Purple Star school in 2024.
What should a military family ask a Duval private school before enrolling?
Ask about mid-year enrollment dates, which scholarship organization the school uses, tuition after the award and what happens if orders change.
Related questions
- How do military families access the Florida scholarships?
- Who else can apply after November 15?
- How does Catholic school aid work in Duval?
- Which private schools are near the Beaches and Mayport?
Sources
- Step Up For Students: how to apply for the Private School Scholarship
- Step Up For Students: military application information 2026-27
- Military OneSource: NAS Jacksonville school liaison and education
- Step Up For Students: education choice scholarship a pleasant surprise for this military family stationed in Jacksonville
- Diocese of St. Augustine education: Friends of the Military
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