TL;DR: 92 of Orange County's 294 private schools tell the state they serve at least one disability category, and autism leads the list. An Orange County child on the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) gets $10,584, $9,995 or $9,803 at the base tier, more than the standard award, and the money can pay therapists and tutors as well as a school.
Which disability categories do Orange County private schools report serving most often?
Autism spectrum disorder is the most frequently reported category: 71 schools list it, ahead of specific learning disability (58), speech or language impairment (60), emotional or behavioral disability (54) and developmental delay (49).
The state record gives schools many labels, and older forms sit beside current ones, so we merged them: "autistic" and "autism spectrum disorder" count together, as do the several wordings for intellectual and emotional disabilities. A school appears once per category however many labels it used. 25 schools also list occupational therapy among their services, and 29 list other health impairment, the category that covers ADHD.
| Category | Orange County schools reporting it |
|---|---|
| Autism spectrum disorder | 71 |
| Specific learning disability | 58 |
| Speech or language impairment | 60 |
| Emotional or behavioral disability | 54 |
| Developmental delay | 49 |
| Intellectual disability | 48 |
| Other health impairment (incl. ADHD) | 29 |
What does the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) pay in Orange County?
For 2026-27, Step Up For Students' table pays an Orange County student at matrix levels 251-253 (the base tier, which includes a student with a qualifying diagnosis) $10,584 for ages 3-4 and grades K-3, $9,995 for grades 4-8 and $9,803 for grades 9-12.
Students at matrix level 4 are funded at $21,655 and at level 5 at $34,799. The Legislature sets these amounts each year in the state budget, and the county of residence on the application decides which row applies. By comparison, the standard Private School Scholarship is $8,420 for K-3. The program page on the Unique Abilities Scholarship goes through the rules in full.
Is FES-UA the same as the standard Florida scholarship?
No: FES-UA is an account the parent directs for a child with a documented need, while the standard scholarship is a payment to a school that any Florida K-12 resident can claim.
| Feature | FES-UA | Private School Scholarship |
|---|---|---|
| Who qualifies | A diagnosis, an IEP or a matrix of services | Any Florida K-12 resident |
| Orange County K-3 | $10,584 at the base tier | $8,420 |
| What it pays | School, therapies, tutors, curriculum, devices | Tuition and eligible fees |
| Who spends it | The parent | The school, through EMA |
A child holds one program at a time, so the choice is about breadth against simplicity. Our ABA therapy page and speech-language therapy page show what FES-UA can cover.
How many of the autism-serving schools also take the standard scholarship?
61 of the 71 Orange County schools reporting autism are flagged for the standard Private School Scholarship, and 61 carry both that flag and the FES-UA flag.
That overlap is useful when a family is not yet sure which program fits. A school that takes both lets you start on one and revisit the choice in a switching window; this fall Step Up's Quarter 3 switching window for all students runs from October 2 to October 30. The same pattern holds for most categories, so a short list is rarely limited by the flags.
What should a family ask a school that lists a category?
Ask whether the school has an opening in your child's grade, because the state record shows what a school says it serves and not how many seats are free.
Then ask whether therapies are delivered on campus or at an outside clinic, who bills FES-UA for them and what the school charges on top. Check whether the staff member who works with your child's category holds the credential the purchasing guide requires. Our diagnosis pages list the Orange County schools behind every number in this post, and the special needs school guide walks through the matching process.
How do FES-UA dollars actually reach therapists, tutors and schools?
The parent directs the account in Step Up's EMA portal, so each purchase is a decision the family makes within the program's purchasing rules.
That is the practical difference from the standard scholarship, where the school receives the funds. With FES-UA the money can go to tuition at a participating school, and to other approved education services if the family chooses to use them. Because the parent is the decision maker, the paperwork also falls on the parent: choosing a provider, confirming the provider is eligible to be paid from the account and keeping records of what was bought. Step Up publishes a purchasing guide, and we recommend reading the relevant section before you book a series of sessions, not afterward.
A school that reports a category in the state record is telling the state what it serves, not what a given FES-UA purchase will cover. Ask the school which services it bills through the account and which it expects you to arrange. For a child with several needs, such as autism plus a speech delay, the overlap between categories in the table above is common: many schools list more than one. Our spending guides describe each category of purchase in plain terms.
Keep in mind that the account is a yearly budget. Amounts come in by quarter, and the spend window for 2026-27 runs from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, so a family that starts mid-year should plan purchases around what has arrived rather than the full annual figure. Ask Step Up or the school how your first deposit will be timed before you commit to a recurring therapy schedule.
Related questions
- Which Orange County schools report serving autism?
- Which schools report dyslexia and other learning disabilities?
- What can an FES-UA account buy?
- What is the FES-UA deadline?
Frequently asked questions
Which disability categories do Orange County private schools report serving most often?
Autism spectrum disorder is the most frequently reported category: 71 schools list it, ahead of specific learning disability (58), speech or language impairment (60), emotional or behavioral disability (54) and developmental delay (49).
What does the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) pay in Orange County?
For 2026-27, Step Up For Students' table pays an Orange County student at matrix levels 251-253 (the base tier, which includes a student with a qualifying diagnosis) $10,584 for ages 3-4 and grades K-3, $9,995 for grades 4-8 and $9,803 for grades 9-12.
Is FES-UA the same as the standard Florida scholarship?
No: FES-UA is an account the parent directs for a child with a documented need, while the standard scholarship is a payment to a school that any Florida K-12 resident can claim.
How many of the autism-serving schools also take the standard scholarship?
61 of the 71 Orange County schools reporting autism are flagged for the standard Private School Scholarship, and 61 carry both that flag and the FES-UA flag.
What should a family ask a school that lists a category?
Ask whether the school has an opening in your child's grade, because the state record shows what a school says it serves and not how many seats are free.
Sources
- Florida DOE Private School Directory, Orange County district, pulled Oct 28, 2026
- Step Up For Students, 2026-27 Scholarship Amounts: Unique Abilities (FES-UA) by District
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