Alabama reopens school choice applications after huge first year popularity

Applications are open for Alabama’s second year of school choice scholarship after receiving 36,000 applications in its inaugural year.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced last month applications for the next school year would open Jan. 2 for the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Education (CHOOSE) program.

“The CHOOSE Act is a great success for real Alabama families and our state’s continued educational growth,” Ivey said in a press release. “I am excited for even more Alabama parents to have a greater voice in their children’s education, and I urge parents to apply and choose the education that best suits their children.”

The governor’s office also released several profiles of families using school choice, including the McDades.

Breauna McDade, a black mother of three boys, is using the CHOOSE funds to send her oldest son to an all-male, Christian school. 

When asked what advice she would give other Alabama parents, McDade said, “Do it. Use it. It’s only paperwork. The hardest part is the five-minute application. Give your children the advantage we did not have growing up.” 

The school choice program provides $7,000 scholarships to students enrolled in traditional schools and up to $2,000 for homeschool students (capped at $4,000 per homeschool family). Funds can be used for tuition, educational therapies, tutoring and other qualified expenses.

In comparison, Alabama’s public schools spend an average of $13,500 per student annually. 

In its first year, the CHOOSE program received over 36,000 applications, and ultimately, 23,000 scholarships were approved. 

As Ivey explained in her press release, the program prioritizes low-income families, “students with special needs, participating students and their siblings and students who are dependents of active-duty service members enrolled in or assigned to a priority school.” 

Currently, the program is limited to families earning less than 300% of the federal poverty level – about $96,000 for a family of four. 

However, starting in 2027-2028, CHOOSE will become fully universal. 

Applications for the 2026-2027 school year will close March 31 and award notifications will be sent April 15.