Alabama's CHOOSE Act Sees Record School Choice Applications

0:00It's April 8th. I'm Corey with the story, and this is Birmingham News Today, your AI-powered local news. Alabama's Choose Act Education Savings Accounts just hit a huge milestone with nearly 49,000 student applicants for the 2026. 27 school year. That's a record for the program's second year, as applications close at midnight on March 31st. Those confirmed 29,341 applications covering those 48,927 kids. Breaking it down, there were 18,832 new applications for 29,986 students, plus 10,509 renewals for 18,941 students. Families came from all over, including public and charter schools with 8,961 students, private schools at 21. 1,351 in homeschool at 13,425. Governor Kay Ivey celebrated the news, saying it's transforming lives by letting parents

1:02pick schools that fit their kids' needs. She highlighted how the surge shows Alabama's crave real school choice. Demographics lined up close to the state's makeup, with about 66% white and 34% minority among new applicants. Applications span every grade from kindergarten to 12, split almost evenly by gender, with 24,305 girls and 24,611 boys. Special needs students made up 5,115 applicants and active duty military families and priority districts filed 1,1001. This wave of interest proves school choices gaining serious traction in Alabama, empowering more families to shape their kids' futures, just how they see fit.