Gov. Ivey announces record CHOOSE Act applications for 2026–27 school year
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Special to the News
Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday announced that Alabama’s education savings account program – the CHOOSE Act – had a record number of applicants in its second year. The application officially closed at midnight on March 31 with almost 49,000 students applying.
Throughout her tenure, Ivey has and will continue to prioritize Alabama students and champion their future success.
The 2026-27 CHOOSE Act application deadline closed with 29,341 applications representing 48,927 total students. Of these, there were 18,832 new applications representing 29,986 total students with 10,509 applications for renewal representing 18,941 total students.
“The CHOOSE Act has changed the lives of thousands of Alabama families by enabling them to choose schools that best align with their priorities and their child’s specific needs,” said Ivey. “The increase in applications for the upcoming school year shows that the people of Alabama want school choice, and I am proud that we are able to give it to them!”
Applications track very closely with the 2024 census Alabama population numbers (68.2% White and 31.8% Minority). This year, new ethnicities applied with 66.3% identified as White and 33.7% identified as Minority.
Taxpaying Alabama families applied from all school backgrounds: Public and charter school applications totaled 8,961 students. Private school applications totaled 21,351. Homeschool applications totaled 13,425.
Of these, there were 8,264 new applications received and 697 renewals.
Thousands of students in every grade level (from entering kindergarten to the twelth grade) have applied.
For the second year in a row, there was an almost even split in genders: 24,305 total females applied. Of these, 9,480 were renewals and 14,825 were new.
Similarly, 24,611 males applied with 9,458 renewals and 15,153 new applications received.
Additionally, students with special needs totaled 5,115, with 1,973 renewals and 3,142 new applications received.
Active-duty military families living in a priority school district submitted a total of 1,121 applications, including 356 renewal and 765 new family applications.
Families will be notified mid-April of their funding approval, and Alabama students can begin using their CHOOSE Act Alabama ESA for approved expenses starting in July.