By Isabella Gomez
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
April 9, 2026
MONTGOMERY, Ala. Alabama’s “CHOOSE Act”, education savings account program, got off to a fast start in its first year during the 2025-2026 school year with almost 25,000 applicants but on Wednesday, Governor Kay Ivey announced that Alabama’s education savings account program had a record number of applicants in its second year. The application deadline was March 31, with almost 49,000 students applying.
The Governor has stated previously that the parents should be the ones to decide on what’s best for their children and the “CHOOSE Act” is certainly giving parents another choice in their children’s education.
CHOOSE Act Alabama makes refundable income tax credits called education savings accounts (ESAs) available to support the success of eligible K5-12 students in Alabama. For the upcoming school year, participating students are limited to those whose family has an AGI that does not exceed 300 percent of the federal poverty level for the preceding tax year. Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, all students throughout the state will be eligible to apply.
While the program is funded and managed by the Alabama Department of Revenue qualifying and selected students can select from participating schools, selected vendors, tutors, curriculum, and defined resources as part of a homeschool program giving them a wider variety of options rather than being directed to a particular school just because it’s close to where they might live.
“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 in a written statement. “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!”
For the 2025-2026 school year, there were 15,939 students enrolled in a participating school, each able to use up to $7,000, and 7,245 students in home education programs, where families can receive $2,000 per child for up to two children in a family.
Of those who applied, decisions will be based upon:
The first 500 ESAs awarded to participating students* with special needs
Second priority goes to participating students* previously awarded in the prior academic year
Next priority goes to participating students* who are dependents of active-duty service members enrolled in or assigned to a priority school as defined in Section 16-6D-4
Remaining awarded for participating students* based on the family’s AGI as a percentage of the federal poverty level for the preceding tax year
*Priority goes to siblings of participating students.
The 2026-27 CHOOSE Act application deadline closed with 29,341 applications representing 48,927 total students. Of these, 18,832 were new applications, representing 29,986 total students, and 10,509 were renewal applications, representing 18,941 total students.
According to Ivey’s office, applications closely track the 2024 census population numbers for Alabama (68.2% white and 31.8% minority). This year, new applicants included people of different ethnicities, with 66.3% identifying as white and 33.7% as minorities.
Taxpaying Alabama families applied from all school backgrounds and across all grades.
Public and Charter school applications totaled 8,961 students.
Private School applications totaled 21,351.
Homeschool applications totaled 13,425.
Of these, 8,264 were new applications, and 697 were renewals.
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.
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