CHOOSE Act Applications Now Available in Alabama

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Jan. 2 announced applications for the CHOOSE Act, the state’s new Education Savings Account (ESA) program that supports the success of K-12 students across the state, are officially open.

Proponents of the plan say it will give parents the option of getting help paying for private school if parents feel the public school in their district is not to their liking. However, opponents of the program say this is simply a way to strip public funds from public school and give them to private schools.

"The Choose Act or Creating Hope and Opportunities for Our Students’ Education states that it was created to provide option for parents with students that are zoned for low-performing schools grades K-12^th grades,'" said Phenix City School Board Chairwoman Yolaunda Daniel. "However, realistically, most families in those areas that meet the income limit may still not be able to afford private school fees even with the $7,000 allotted per student."

Families can now apply online for the 2025-2026 school year at the CHOOSE Act website. The application process will be open through April 7, 2025, with award notifications scheduled to be sent to families in May 2025.

"The CHOOSE Act will help our Alabama students receive the highest-quality education possible by giving greater flexibility to families to pursue educational options that meet their individual needs" said Ivey, who championed and signed the bill into law in March of 2024. "It is a wonderful opportunity to make the future of Alabama stronger than ever.”

Because private schools do not have to adhere to the same practices and testing that the public schools must abide by, there is not always a clear indications that the private school truly offer a better education than the public school.

"If we’re talking about creating opportunities for our students, why aren’t more resources and financial support provided to the schools that have been identified as being on the priority list?" Daniel asked. "The same support and resources should be afforded to those students that attend schools on the priority list to ensure the success of all students, whether public or private. There are various educational options that the funds can be used for which students attending public schools also can benefit and reach their educational goal."

The CHOOSE Act is managed by the Alabama Department of Revenue (ALDOR) and 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 (ESPs) across the state. 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).

During the first year of the program, the first 500 ESAs will be awarded to participating students with special needs, with a second priority awarded to participating students who are dependents of active-duty service members enrolled in or assigned to a priority school. Phenix City and Russell County school systems do not have any schools on this list.

The 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).

However, if students choose to leave their public school and attend a private school, they are not required to accept any or all students that apply with special needs, because they are not required by law to provide services for special needs students or those with disabilities in the same way that state funded public schools do; which means that some schools could end up accepting only the best and the brightest students from the priority schools, stripping the public schools of its prized pupils and athletes, while leaving the public school with only those students who require more resources.

Once approved, students can begin using their ESA funds for approved expenses in July 2025.

Alabama families can apply today for an ESA on the program’s website, which also has information and resources about the initiative, including eligibility information, FAQs, and detailed guides for parents and ESPs.

For more information, visit chooseact.alabama.gov.

Yolaunda M. Daniel, Phenix City Board of Education Chair.