The registration process for Alabama’s Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Act, 2024 (CHOOSE Act) has officially begun. This new state program will provide funding for private school tuition, homeschooling costs, and other educational expenses for the upcoming school year, according to the Associated Press. As reported by local Alabama media outlet AL.com, within days of the registration opening, more than 165 private schools and 3 public schools have already been approved to participate in the program. The report also states that by January 5, a total of 5,256 applications had been received for 9,024 students. The Birmingham area currently has the highest number of participating schools, followed by Mobile and Huntsville.
Participating Schools
The official website of the Alabama Department of Revenue has issued a list of participating schools and their respective cities. The schools are listed in alphabetical order. Students and parents can click here to check the full list of participating schools.
What is the CHOOSE Act?
The Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Act, 2024 (CHOOSE Act) is administered by the Alabama Department of Revenue (ALDOR). According to the official website, the CHOOSE Act provides refundable income tax credits, known as Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), to support the success of eligible K-12 students in Alabama.
Education Savings Accounts can be used to pay for tuition and other qualified educational expenses at approved Education Service Providers (ESPs). Under this program, eligible families will receive:
- $7,000 per participating student enrolled in a participating school.
- $2,000 per participating student enrolled in a home education program (up to a maximum of $4,000 per family).
What is the Eligibility Criteria?
According to the official website, the following criteria must be met for families to qualify for the CHOOSE Act:
- Alabama Residency: The student must be a resident of Alabama.
- Household Income: Household income must not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level, as outlined in the table below:
For more details, students and parents can visit the official website of the Alabama Department of Revenue or can click here.
