Just days after its opening, more than 165 private schools and three public schools are already approved to participate in Alabama’s newest school choice program.

The CHOOSE Act, passed by the legislature in 2024, provides families with up to $7,000 in state-funded education savings accounts, which can be used for private school tuition or other educational needs. Homeschoolers can also receive up to $2,000 per student for eligible expenses, for a maximum of $4,000 per family.

Families need to apply for an education savings account in order to get voucher money in July 2025.

The money can only be used at certain private schools and with certain education service providers. See the current approved list below.

ADOR typically updates its list of participating schools every Monday. This table will be updated when new information is available. Can’t see the table? View it here.

Who can get an education savings account?

The first ESAs will be limited to specific groups of students in the 2025-26 school year. All students in the state will be eligible for ESAs at the start of the 2027-28 school year.

Thousands of people applied for the accounts on opening day.

By the end of the day on Jan. 5, there were 5,256 applications for 9,024 students, according to Frank Miles, a spokesman for the Alabama Department of Revenue. Current funding will cover accounts for up to 14,000 students.

The Birmingham area currently has the highest number of participating schools – 19 local private schools have signed up so far – followed by Mobile and Huntsville.

The majority of participating private schools are religious but appear to be open to all students. Some participating schools offer specialized services for students with dyslexia or other learning disabilities.

Three public schools, including University Charter School in Livingston Alabama Connections Academy in Athens, and the Alabama School of Math and Science, a state residential school in Mobile, were also approved. In June, Lee County Schools announced that it intended to allow out-of-district students to use ESAs to attend, but the district has not yet been listed as an approved participant.

None of the public schools currently participating in the program charge tuition, but some students may be able to use ESA funds to pay for certain fees, contracted services or specific classroom instruction provided by those schools, Miles said.

Students can also use ESAs for approved education service providers, such as tutors and textbook companies. As of Jan. 6, 88 providers, including some out-of-state vendors, have been approved to participate in the program.

Families have until April 7 to apply for an ESA and can expect to be notified of their award by May 1. There is no deadline for schools and education service providers to apply, according to the department.