The Alabama CHOOSE Act passed, and applications begin today for Alabama families to get up to $7,000 toward private school tuition.
The CHOOSE Act was passed by the legislature in May, thus creating a school choice program to give support to families who want to send K-12 kids to private schools. Families can apply for state-funded education savings accounts to use on tuition and other expenses like books and school supplies.
The first ESAs will be limited to specific groups of students for 2025-26. All students in the state will be eligible for ESAs at the start of the 2027-28 school year.
To apply for an ESA, visit the website.
Enrolled students will get up $7,000 placed in a digital wallet account by July 1, 2025 if approved. Homeschooled students will get $2,000 starting July 1 with a cap of $4,000 per family.
Only Alabama residents are eligible. Students must be between 5 and 19 years old and have not graduated high school. Students with disabilities between the ages of 5 and 21 are also eligible.
Families must fall within 300% of the 2024 Federal Poverty Guideline to qualify. .
Priority will be given in this order:
Students with special needs get the first 500 ESAs; then siblings of eligible students; then students in military families zoned to priority schools; then students in families whose income does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level ($93,600 for a family of four).
Families eligible for tax credit scholarships through the Alabama Accountability Act can’t apply to both programs—they must choose one or the other.
Eligible families will be notified by their school by Jan. 10, 2025, and students have until March 1, 2025 to return transfer forms.
