Alabama CHOOSE Act

How CHOOSE Act works

Checked against the program's own pages on October 1, 2026

Worth knowing: About 15,000 applicants were not approved for 2026-27; some were over the income limit. Funding depends on what the legislature appropriates.

We read this on October 1, 2026 from: Alabama Department of Revenue, CHOOSE Act; Governor’s office, July 2026. Rules change when the legislature meets, so check the official program site before you count on a number.

CHOOSE Act income limits

CHOOSE Act education savings account, 2026-27. For 2026-27 a student qualified only if household income for the 2025 tax year was at or below 300% of the federal poverty guideline, for example $96,450 for a family of four; add $16,500 for each person above eight. Source.

CHOOSE Act education savings account, 2027-28 and later. From 2027-28 any Alabama resident student in grades K5 to 12 can qualify, but if there are more applicants than funds, income still sets the order: after the first 500 accounts for students with special needs, returning students, and children of active-duty service members at priority schools, awards go by household income as a percentage of the poverty level, with siblings given priority. Source.

Alabama Accountability Act tax-credit scholarships through scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs), a separate program from the CHOOSE Act. A new student qualifies if family income the calendar year before the scholarship is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level; the SGO re-checks income every other year, and a student who has had at least one scholarship stays eligible until family income goes above 350%. Source.

Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund (AOSF) General Scholarship, an Accountability Act SGO scholarship. AOSF publishes this maximum annual income chart for its General Scholarship (add $13,450 for each person above eight), but it says it is not offering new scholarship awards for 2026-27 because of funding. Source.

Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund (AOSF) Unique Needs Scholarship, an Accountability Act SGO scholarship. AOSF says this scholarship has no income requirement; the student must have an IEP or a 504 plan. Source.

Who goes first. CHOOSE Act: the first 500 accounts go to students with special needs, then to students who had an award the year before, then to children of active-duty service members enrolled in or assigned to a priority (D or F rated) public school, and the rest by household income as a percentage of the poverty level, with siblings of participants given priority. The same order applies in 2027-28, when the income cap ends.

Apply for CHOOSE Act: how it works

1. Check that your child qualifies: an Alabama resident in grades K5 to 12 (a kindergartner must turn 5 by September 1), and for 2026-27 a household at or below 300% of the poverty level; from 2027-28 there is no income test.
2. New families apply online through the family application portal at chooseact.alabama.gov during the window (for 2026-27 it ran January 2 to March 31, 2026); returning families instead complete the renewal application from the link ClassWallet emails them (December 15 to March 31 for 2026-27).
3. Upload the student birth certificate, proof of Alabama residency and proof of income, plus any special needs or military documents, by March 31.
4. Watch for an award email; for 2026-27 notices started April 15, 2026.
5. If your child will attend a participating school, the school confirms enrollment; proof of enrollment must be in by June 30 for funding on July 1 (home education awards need no action).
6. After ClassWallet sends a welcome email, accept the CHOOSE Act Alabama Affidavit in the Balance tile for each student to see and use the funds.
7. Pay tuition and other approved expenses to approved providers through ClassWallet; there are no reimbursements, and money left at June 30 goes back to the CHOOSE Act Fund.

What to have ready

• Student birth certificate
• Proof of Alabama residency matching the application address (recent tax return, state driver's license or ID, recent utility bill, voter registration card, mortgage statement, or lease)
• Proof of income (2026-27): most recent federal or state tax return, or for non-filers a W-2 or 1099, Social Security statement, or TANF or SNAP benefits statement
• Special needs or military documentation, if applicable
• Proof of enrollment at a participating school (after the award)
• Out-of-district tuition verification, for a participating public school

Go to the official application

Steps and limits read on October 11, 2026 from: Alabama Department of Revenue, CHOOSE Act; CHOOSE Act Alabama program site (chooseact.alabama.gov, run by ClassWallet for ALDOR); CHOOSE Act Alabama Parent Guide, 2026-2027, updated July 27, 2026; ALDOR, 2026-2027 Family Application Timeline, updated July 1, 2026; CHOOSE Act, Act 2024-21 (HB129 enrolled), posted by ALDOR; Governor Ivey, July 2026 funding announcement; Alabama Department of Revenue, Alabama Accountability Act; Act 2023-418 (SB263), amending the Alabama Accountability Act, posted by ALDOR; Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund, General Scholarship; Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund, Parents and Guardians; Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund, Unique Needs Scholarship. Limits change each year with the federal poverty guidelines, so confirm on the official site before you apply.

Which schools take it

List dated October 23, 2026, checked October 26, 2026

Schools marked here appear on the participating-schools list the Alabama Department of Revenue publishes. We match by school name and city, or by a name that appears only once in the state.

How far a scholarship goes, state by state.

The share of private schools on each state's list, Alabama included.

248 schools on the CHOOSE Act list, by town Browse private schools in Alabama

• Private schools in Birmingham (46 nearby)
• Private schools in Mobile (35 nearby)
• Private schools in Bessemer (34 nearby)
• Private schools in Madison (29 nearby)
• Private schools in Huntsville (28 nearby)
• Private schools in Helena (27 nearby)
• Private schools in Gardendale (24 nearby)
• Private schools in Montgomery (24 nearby)
• Private schools in Harvest (22 nearby)
• Private schools in Prattville (17 nearby)
• Private schools in Alabaster (16 nearby)
• Private schools in Fairhope (12 nearby)
• Private schools in Hoover (12 nearby)
• Private schools in Prichard (11 nearby)
• Private schools in Dothan (9 nearby)
• Private schools in Tuscaloosa (9 nearby)
• Private schools in Auburn (8 nearby)
• Private schools in Anniston (7 nearby)

Alabama's other program: Accountability Act scholarships

Alabama also has a tax-credit scholarship under the Alabama Accountability Act of 2013. Donors give to approved scholarship granting organizations, such as the Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund, and those organizations award scholarships of up to $10,000 a year to students from families at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. The Alabama Department of Revenue publishes its own list of participating schools for it: 163 schools on the list dated August 10, 2026. A student cannot use an Accountability Act scholarship and a CHOOSE Act account at the same time.[1][2][3][4]

Accountability Act scholarships: rules, the 8 organizations and the 163 schools

1. Alabama Department of Revenue, Alabama Accountability Act, read October 13, 2026.
2. Act 2023-418 (SB263), posted by the Alabama Department of Revenue, read October 13, 2026.
3. Alabama Department of Revenue, Participating Non-Public Schools as of August 10, 2026, read October 13, 2026.
4. CHOOSE Act, Act 2024-21, posted by the Alabama Department of Revenue, read October 13, 2026.

Related programs

• Alabama Accountability Act scholarships
• Education savings accounts by state

Run your own numbers

Approved providers: tutors, therapists and more

See the CHOOSE Act education service providers list, published by the Alabama Department of Revenue (revised October 2, 2026). It lists names only, so we do not list these providers here.

Published tuition at schools on the CHOOSE Act list

Prices read on the schools' own websites, October 1, 2026 to October 11, 2026

We verified published tuition at 42 of the 248 schools on the list: prices run from $4,330 to $20,950 a year, and the middle price is $7,700, using each school’s lowest published rate. Compare that with the award above to see what a family might still owe.

Showing the 30 largest by enrollment of 42. Each figure was read on that school’s own website and is linked on its page. These are the schools we have verified so far, mostly larger ones, so treat them as a guide, not an average. Private school tuition across Alabama, school by school.

School choice programs in every state: 33 of the 50 states and DC have a program that pays toward private school, compared side by side.