About HPA

One of Florida's largest private cover schools.

Hillcrest Private Academy had its humble beginnings as Hillcrest Academy Free School in 2010. Since that time, our school has grown to become one of Florida’s largest private “cover” schools. HPA is a Florida Department of Education registered and recognized private school. We provide affordable homeschool cover and services to students in Florida, much of the US, and internationally as well. We help home-educating families, students, and tutors manage the documentation required for home-education compliance. Enrolled students have 24/7 online access to our official forms and documents, plus a wealth of online resources for homeschooled students and their families. Our goal is to advocate for all homeschoolers and support educational freedom. We aim to provide our families with valuable resources, community support, counseling, online record-keeping, and more.

HPA maintains compliance with the following state private school statutes in the State of Florida:

  • 1002.42(2)(b)
  • 1012.32
  • 1002.01
  • 1003.23(2)
  • 1003.22(1)(2)
  • 1003.01(13)
  • 1003.21(1).

Our mailing address is:

Hillcrest Private Academy
PO Box 11456
Pensacola, Florida 32524 United States
850-972-8099
850-739-7877

Enrollment in HPA legally meets the compulsory attendance laws of Florida. Florida DOE #5568. Our office is in Escambia County, Florida, school district number 01650. Our school district code number is 57-5568.

Helping Homeschool Students in Florida and Around the World

While HPA students reside primarily in the State of Florida, USA, we have students worldwide. Like many homeschooling families, most HPA students are taught primarily by their parents. However, we also have an articulation agreement with Florida Virtual School’s online education program. Parents and students of HPA enjoy the freedom to choose the curriculum that best meets the needs of their families.

Florida Options for Compulsory Attendance Laws

There are three options in the Florida Statutes for families who wish to educate their children at home. All three options legally meet the state’s compulsory attendance laws:

  1. Enroll in a non-campus-based private school that is, a private school that facilitates home education and follows the procedures set by the school.
  2. Establish a home education program with the state, as defined in the statutes: Florida State Statutes
  3. Establish a private tutoring program.

Please refer to the Florida School Choice page for further information: floridaschoolchoice.org

Frequently Asked Questions

  • I’ve uploaded the required documents, but my student’s profile is still “pending.”

    This could be due to a couple of reasons. First, ensure all the required documents are uploaded to the appropriate document slots on the student’s profile. The slots are as follows: Second, if you’ve already uploaded the documents, the student’s profile will still say “Pending” until we can verify and change the status to “Enrolled.”…

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  • Do you provide report cards or high school transcripts?

    Yes, we provide report cards and transcript templates for our students on our website. You must maintain the information for these documents on your student profile so we can access them and send them to where they are needed. You may download the unsigned “unofficial” documents anytime for your records. However, if you need them…

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  • What is an Umbrella School?

    An “Umbrella” or “Cover” School is the name often given to non-campus-based private schools, in other words, schools like HPA that exist to support homeschooling families. These schools are called this because they provide legal cover to the families enrolled in them.

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See All of Our Frequently Asked Questions