Alabama has taken a significant step in expanding educational choice with the launch of its Education Savings Accounts (ESA) program, announced by Governor Kay Ivey in January 2025. The Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Education Act (CHOOSE Act) represents a transformative approach to supporting student education across the state.
The program offers families unprecedented flexibility in educational spending, providing up to $7,000 per student to cover a wide range of educational expenses. These funds can be used for private school tuition, tutoring, educational therapies, and other state-approved educational costs, marking a substantial shift in how educational resources are allocated.
Initially, the program will prioritize students with specific needs. The first 500 ESAs will be reserved for students with disabilities. Following this, priority will be given to dependents of active-duty service members who are enrolled in schools that have received a D or F rating on the state’s report card. Any remaining accounts will be awarded based on family income, with a maximum threshold of 300% of the federal poverty level.
The response to the program has been overwhelming. Within the first day of applications opening, the state received over 2,800 applications representing ESA requests for 4,800 students. This surge of interest highlights the growing demand for alternative educational options among Alabama families.
Governor Ivey emphasized the program’s potential to provide “the highest-quality education possible by giving greater flexibility to families to pursue educational options that meet their individual needs.” The ESA program is part of a broader national trend, with 17 states now implementing similar educational choice initiatives.
The launch comes amid a national conversation about school choice and educational equity. According to EdChoice, a pro-school choice advocacy organization, the number of students nationwide using ESAs more than doubled between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years, jumping from 133,171 to 328,741 students.
While the program offers exciting opportunities, it also raises important questions about public education funding and the potential impact on traditional public schools. Critics argue that such programs may divert resources from already underfunded public education systems, while supporters see them as a crucial mechanism for providing educational opportunities to students who might be trapped in underperforming schools.