By Jeff Devine, Dale County Chronicle
MONTGOMERY — Governor Kay Ivey announced Wednesday that Alabama’s education savings account program, known as the CHOOSE Act, received a record number of applications for the 2026–27 school year.
According to the governor’s office, the application period closed March 31 with 29,341 applications representing 48,927 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,” Ivey said. “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!”
Of the total applications, 18,832 were new submissions representing 29,986 students, while 10,509 were renewals representing 18,941 students.
Applications came from a range of educational settings. Private school applicants accounted for 21,351 students. Homeschool applications totaled 13,425 students, including 8,264 new applications and 697 renewals. Public and charter school applicants made up 8,961 students.
Applicants spanned all grade levels from kindergarten through 12th grade. Demographic data released by the governor’s office indicated that 66.3 percent of applicants identified as White and 33.7 percent as minority, figures that closely align with statewide population estimates.
The applicant pool was nearly evenly divided by gender, with 24,305 female and 24,611 male students. In addition, 5,115 students with special needs applied, including 1,973 renewals and 3,142 new applications. Active-duty military families living in priority school districts submitted 1,121 applications, including 356 renewals and 765 new applications.
The CHOOSE Act provides education savings accounts to eligible families for approved educational expenses. During the 2025–26 school year, approximately 24,000 of roughly 37,000 applicants were approved, representing about a 64 percent approval rate. State officials reported that many recipients used the funds for private school tuition, while others applied them toward homeschooling.
The CHOOSE Act has been controversial in Alabama. Opponents of the program express a variety of concerns, including decreased funding for public schools and concerns that the program will disproportionately affect low-income families while benefiting the wealthiest. Additionally, some argue that the program avoids rigorous oversight and accountability, with some expressing worries over the curriculum being used to teach students using taxpayer dollars. Meanwhile, many families who have used the CHOOSE Act to enroll their children in private schools, home schools, or, in some cases, a different public school, say it gives them the freedom to have a greater say in their child’s education. Many of those who approve of the program also say it helps them find schools and curricula that meet their family’s specific needs or preferences, including those who attend religious schools.
For 2026, $200 million in state funding has been allocated to support the program.
Families who applied for the upcoming school year are expected to receive notification of funding decisions by mid-April. Approved students may begin using their education savings accounts in July.
