Application period open through April 7
Special to the News
The number of students applying to participate in CHOOSE Act Alabama, the state’s new Education Savings Account (ESA) program, surpassed the 20,000 mark last week, shortly after Gov. Kay Ivey highlighted the program’s early success during her 2025 “State of the State” address.
Proving to be popular with Alabama families in the short time since launching in January, the Alabama Department of Revenue, or ALDOR, reports that applications have been received from every county in the state.
Managed by ALDOR, CHOOSE Act Alabama provides ESAs to eligible K-12 students to help pay for school tuition, tutoring, educational therapies, and other qualified education expenses at approved education service providers across the state.
CHOOSE Act Alabama funding for eligible students includes:
- $7,000 per eligible student enrolled in a participating school
- $2,000 per participating student enrolled in a home education program (this includes an individual or group program, homeschool, co-op, etc., and is capped at $4,000 per family)
The first 500 ESAs will be awarded to participating students with special needs, with a second priority awarded to participating students and their siblings, as well as to participating students who are dependents of active-duty service members enrolled in or assigned to a priority school.
Remaining ESAs will be awarded for participating students based on each family’s adjusted gross income, not exceeding 300 percent of the federal poverty level for the preceding tax year (e.g., a family of four making less than $93,600 would qualify for funding).
CHOOSE Act Alabama applications are open for Alabama families through April 7, with award notifications scheduled to be sent to families in May. Once approved, students can begin using their ESA funds for approved expenses in July.
For more information about the CHOOSE Act, visit www.chooseact.alabama.gov.
