Best Independent (non-religious) Schools for Learning Support with scholarships

12 schools match. Top 10 ranked by size, tuition fit, and freshness of our data.

Our directory includes 12 independent (non-religious) schools across Florida (Tampa Bay) and New York (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens). Annual tuition ranges from $8K/yr to $24K/yr, with a median of $11.8K/yr across schools that publish a number. 12 of these schools accept Florida Step Up / FES scholarships — roughly 100% of the list — so families using state-funded scholarships have real choice here.

Admissions processes vary by school. AdmitCompass surfaces the deadlines, test requirements, and tuition for each campus on its detail page, so families can build a balanced reach / target / safety list. Every school is re-verified through direct outreach to admissions teams; data is refreshed on a 180-day cadence and timestamped on each profile.

See also: Under $20K/yr, Tuition-Free.

  1. 1

    Livingstone Academy - Seffner

    Seffner, Hillsborough County · Grades KG-12

    Tuition
    $12K/yr
    Type
    private
    • ~170 students
  2. 2

    Livingstone Academy Autism Center

    Valrico, Hillsborough County · Grades KG-08

    Tuition
    $18K/yr
    Type
    private
    • ~110 students
  3. 3

    Livingstone Academy Exceptional Center

    Brandon, Hillsborough County · Grades KG-12

    Tuition
    $24K/yr
    Type
    private
    • ~60 students
  4. 4

    Interactive Education Academy

    Valrico, Hillsborough County · Grades 06-12

    Tuition
    $11.5K/yr
    Type
    private
    • ~30 students
  5. 5

    Dream Academy Schools

    New Port Richey, Pasco County · Grades K-12

    Tuition
    $10K/yr
    Type
    private
    • ~180 students
  6. 6

    Excel Learning Academy

    Valrico, Hillsborough County · Grades KG-08

    Tuition
    $8K/yr
    Type
    private
    • ~20 students
  7. 7

    Specially Fit

    Dover, Hillsborough County · Grades KG-12

    Tuition
    Free
    Type
    private
    • ~90 students
  8. 8

    Impact Academy School

    Seffner, Hillsborough County · Grades PK-12

    Tuition
    Free
    Type
    private
    • ~70 students
  9. 9

    Academy Prep Center of Tampa

    Tampa, Hillsborough County · Grades 5-8

    Tuition
    Free
    Type
    private
    • ~110 students
  10. 10

    Achievers Day School Inc

    Lutz, Hillsborough County · Grades PK-12

    Tuition
    Free
    Type
    private
    • ~30 students
How we rank these schools

Built relationships, not scrapers. AdmitCompass ranks schools using a composite score that blends four signals: enrollment size (a proxy for stability and program breadth), tuition reasonableness within the local market, freshness of our most recent verification, and a small bonus for schools with full admissions detail published on their profile.

Public data comes from the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE), the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and each school's own admissions pages. The information that actually matters to most families — acceptance rates, deadlines, what a director cares about — comes from direct interviews with school directors and admissions coaches across our active markets.

We do not publish scoring weights or per-axis thresholds. That keeps the moat intact: the rankings reflect actual conversations with people inside schools, not a formula anyone with a crawler could clone. Every profile is re-verified on a 180-day cadence, and the "last updated" date is timestamped on every school page.

Read the full methodology.

Frequently asked questions

What's the average tuition for schools?
Across the 12 schools on this list, annual tuition ranges from $8K/yr to $24K/yr, with a median of $11.8K/yr. Many schools offer financial aid, sibling discounts, or accept Florida Step Up / FES scholarships — check each school's detail page for current aid policy.
How competitive is admission?
Admissions selectivity ranges from open-enrollment (most charters and parish schools) to highly selective (top independent K-12 programs). Each school's profile page lists deadlines, test requirements, and any published acceptance rate.
Do these schools accept Step Up / FES scholarships?
12 of the 12 schools on this page accept Florida's Step Up For Students / FES-EO / FES-UA scholarships. That covers most or all of tuition for income-eligible families. Each school's detail page lists the specific scholarship programs accepted.
What's the smallest and largest school on this list?
Baycrest Academy For Creative Learning is the smallest with 10 students; Dream Academy Schools is the largest at 178. Smaller schools tend to offer more direct teacher contact and tighter community; larger schools usually have more elective and extracurricular breadth.
How many schools offer Learning Support programs?
12 schools on this page have documented Learning Support programs. Program depth varies — some schools embed it across the curriculum, others offer dedicated tracks or after-school options. Visit each school's profile for specifics.
Is this list updated?
Yes. We re-verify school data on a 180-day cadence through direct contact with admissions teams, plus cross-checks against FLDOE, NCES, and published school sources. Each school profile shows the date of its most recent verification.

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