Florida
John M. McKay Scholarship for Students with Disabilities
1999
Program Description
Florida’s McKay Program provides scholarships for students with disabilities to attend the school that best fits their educational needs.
Scholarship Value
The amount of the scholarship is determined by the amount the student would have received in the public school to which they are assigned or the amount of the selected private school’s tuition and fees, which ever is less. For the 2005-2006 school year, scholarship amounts ranged from $4,805 to $20,703 with the average grant about $6,927. A total of 17,300 grants were awarded for the 2005-2006 school year, equaling $107.7 million in scholarships.
Student/School Participation
Currently, 751 private schools participate in the program. As of 2005, there were 401,834 students with disabilities registered in Florida public schools.
Student Eligibility
To qualify for the scholarship, students must have an Individualized Education Plan and have been enrolled in a Florida public school in the previous year.