bsa Financial Aid

SCHOOL CHOICE SCHOLARSHIP

State of Florida School Choice Expansion

On March 27, 2023, Gov. DeSantis signed House Bill (HB) 1 into law which eliminates the income restrictions on the FES-EO and FTC Scholarships, thus making all children of Florida residents who are eligible to attend public school in grades K-12 eligible for a scholarship. It is estimated that scholarship awards will be approximately $8,000 per student. This new law went into effect on July 1, 2023, and Bell Shoals Academy will continue to participate in this program.

HOW TO APPLY 

The application window for new and returning families for FTC/FES-EO and FES-UA is now open and is facilitated by Step Up For Students (SUFS).

Important: All families must create an account with the Education Market Assistant (EMA). Each family will have one account to manage their students’ scholarships, even if the children benefit from different Step Up programs.

Renewal Families

EMA ACCOUNT SIGN UP

  1. Log in to your scholarship portal at www.stepupforstudents.org
  2. Click “Dashboard” in the top left corner.
  3. Scroll to the bottom and click “Apply” next to your corresponding scholarship.
  4. If you have an existing scholarship, you should scroll to the bottom and see your students. Their status should show “Renewal” and you then click “Apply” next to each child that needs to be renewed.
  5. Once your application is approved, provide a screenshot of the MY Students tab of your EMA account. It must include the award ID, scholarship name, and student name OR you can submit a PDF of the award letter provided to you by Step Up for Students to  .
NEW FAMILIES

EMA ACCOUNT SIGN UP

  1. Add all students you would like to be considered for a scholarship using the “Add a Student” tool.
    • Note: The “Find Students” tool is reserved for renewing students only.
  2. On your EMA dashboard, click the “Apply” button for the appropriate program and submit your application for all students.
    • Families can only apply for ONE scholarship per student. Families cannot apply for multiple scholarships under FES and FTC for an individual student at the same time.
  3. Monitor your email for application status updates and Award Notifications including Award ID.
  4. Once your application is approved, provide a screenshot of the MY Students tab of your EMA account. It must include the award ID, scholarship name, and student name OR you can submit a PDF of the award letter provided to you by Step Up for Students to  .
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT MY BILLING?

Once you receive an Award Notification, follow these steps to enroll your student(s) into the program.

  1. Email a screenshot with the Award ID to  
  2. Please remember that we cannot register your student without an Award ID, so please remember to include it in your screenshot.

Once the scholarship amount for the 2023-2024 school year is available, a credit will be applied to the student(s) FACTS account.

If you have paid your balance in full, and are subsequently awarded a scholarship, the Academy will issue you a refund for the overpayment.

QUESTIONS

If you have any additional questions, please send them to our scholarship team.  

email scholarship team

TUITION DISCOUNTS 
Multiple Child Discount

Families with multiple enrolled students will receive a 9% tuition discount for the subsequent children.  Discounts will apply to the child(ren) in the lowest grades. VPK students are not eligible for sibling or paid in full discounts. If a student is withdrawn, all payments up to and including the date of withdrawal are forfeited.  

Payment in Full Discount

If student's tuition is paid in full before June 1st, a $100 discount will be applied. 

Staff Discount

Full time Bell Shoals Church and BSA staff members are eligible to receive a staff discount.  For more information please contact the BSA administrative offices.

Please note, families with a VPK enrolled child or a state scholarship are not eligible for additional discounts.

VPK VOUCHER PROGRAM

The Florida Department of Education, Office of Early Learning provides free vouchers for families to enroll age appropriate children in VPK programs.  The Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program is a free prekindergarten program for 4-year-olds who reside in Florida and were born on or before Sept. 1 of the year they would enter the program. Parents of 4-year-olds with birthdays from Feb. 2 through Sept. 1 may postpone enrolling their child until the following year when they are 5.  To apply for the voucher you will need proof of Florida residence and proof of child's age.  

VPK Program

items needed for VPK certificate

QUESTIONS

 If you have any questions, please feel free to email us.

General Questions - 

Financial Office -

Scholarship Questions -