Understanding the Alabama CHOOSE Act for Homeschool Families

What Is the Alabama CHOOSE Act?

The Alabama CHOOSE Act is a school-choice program that provides eligible K–12 families with Education Savings Account funds to pay for approved educational expenses. Its full name—the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students' Education Act—reflects the program's goal of giving parents more flexibility in how they fund their child's education.

Enacted in 2024 and administered by the Alabama Department of Revenue (ALDOR), the CHOOSE Act provides refundable income tax credits through ESAs. Families can use these accounts for qualified education expenses purchased from approved Education Service Providers (ESPs).

The program includes students enrolled in participating schools as well as students participating in a home education program, including homeschool and co-op arrangements.

For homeschool families, this means CHOOSE Act funding can help offset some of the cost of building a student's education from multiple resources—such as curriculum, online learning, tutoring, instructional materials, testing, and supplemental educational services.

Can Homeschool Students Qualify for the Alabama CHOOSE Act?

Yes. Students participating in a home education program can qualify for Alabama CHOOSE Act funding when they meet the program's eligibility requirements.

For the 2026–27 school year, participating students must:

• Be an Alabama resident
• Be in grades K5–12
• Live in a household with income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level for the applicable tax year

For kindergarten eligibility, a student must turn five by September 1, 2026.

The 2026–27 program also includes funding priorities. The first 500 ESAs are reserved for students with special needs, with additional priority given to certain existing participants and siblings, dependents of active-duty service members, and students associated with designated priority schools.

The 2026–27 application period is now closed. Renewing applications opened December 15, 2025, new-family applications opened January 2, 2026, and the application period closed March 31, 2026.

One significant change is coming for future homeschool families: beginning with the 2027–28 school year, Alabama removes the household-income requirement. Students will still need to be Alabama residents in grades K5–12, but eligibility will no longer be restricted by household income.

How Much CHOOSE Act Funding Do Homeschool Families Receive?

Alabama uses different CHOOSE Act award amounts depending on how a participating student is educated.

A student participating in a home education program receives $2,000 annually, with a maximum of $4,000 per family. Alabama's current guidance specifically states that home education includes individual or group programs, homeschool, and co-op arrangements.

That family cap is an important distinction from many other ESA programs.

For example, a homeschool family with one participating student could receive up to $2,000. A family with two eligible homeschool students could receive up to $4,000. The $4,000 household cap means additional eligible homeschool students would not increase the family's total home-education award beyond that amount under the current rules.

For the 2026–27 school year, participating families could begin directing their ESA funds toward approved expenses on July 1, 2026

What Educational Expenses Are Eligible to Purchase With Alabama CHOOSE Act Funds?

Alabama homeschool families can use CHOOSE Act ESA funds for qualified educational expenses purchased from approved Education Service Providers.

This allows parents to use education funding toward different resources that support their homeschool program rather than requiring every aspect of the student's education to come from a single provider.

Depending on current CHOOSE Act rules and provider approval, qualified expenses can include educational goods and services such as curriculum, instructional materials, tutoring, testing, and other eligible resources.

This flexibility can be particularly valuable during the high school years, when homeschool families may combine resources for different goals. A student could use one curriculum for a core subject, another resource for an advanced course, tutoring for additional support, and separate preparation for AP®, SAT®, or ACT® exams.

However, there are two important requirements:

The expense must qualify under CHOOSE Act rules, and the Education Service Provider must be approved by ALDOR. The CHOOSE Act describes ESPs as approved individuals, schools, or organizations that provide educational goods and services to participating families.

Parents should therefore verify both the provider and expense before attempting to use CHOOSE Act funds.

How Do Homeschool Families Purchase With Alabama CHOOSE Act Funds?

Alabama uses ClassWallet to manage CHOOSE Act accounts and approved purchases.

ALDOR contracted with ClassWallet to provide program support and coordinate the distribution of funds to participating families. Parents use ClassWallet's digital wallet to access their student's ESA and pay for approved educational purchases and expenses.

A particularly important rule for Alabama families is:

CHOOSE Act purchases must be made through ClassWallet. Alabama does not provide reimbursement to families for purchases made outside the platform.

That makes Alabama different from ESA programs where parents may pay an approved expense themselves and then submit a reimbursement claim.

For participating Education Service Providers, ClassWallet can instead facilitate payment using the student's available CHOOSE Act funds.

The exact purchasing steps can depend on the provider. For UWorld, Alabama currently uses ClassWallet Direct Pay via invoice.

Can I Use Alabama CHOOSE Act Funds to Purchase UWorld Products?

Yes. UWorld College Prep is an approved provider for Alabama CHOOSE Act families, allowing eligible homeschool families to use available education funds toward approved UWorld SAT®, ACT®, and AP® resources.

UWorld's self-paced courses are designed for independent learners and can support homeschool students as they progress from high school coursework toward college preparation.

Available resources include:

1. SAT prep courses
2. ACT prep courses
3. AP courses and AP Exam preparation

What's included in the curriculum:

• Instructional video lessons
• Exam-style practice questions
• Detailed answer explanations
• Study guides and learning tools
• Practice tests and assessments

This gives homeschool families an opportunity to use CHOOSE Act funding toward resources that can support both academic learning and preparation for nationally recognized college admissions and AP exams.

How to Purchase UWorld With Alabama CHOOSE Act Funds

The process works like this:

1. Choose your UWorld products:
   Select the SAT®, ACT®, or AP® educational resources you want to purchase.
2. Request an invoice from UWorld:
   Complete UWorld's ESA invoice request form. Your invoice will be sent to you by email.
3. Log into ClassWallet:
   Access the ClassWallet account associated with your CHOOSE Act funds and select Pay Vendor.
4. Search for UWorld:
   Find UWorld among the available education providers.
5. Upload your UWorld invoice:
   Upload the PDF or image of the invoice provided by UWorld.
6. Choose the correct student wallet:
   Select the student's CHOOSE Act account that should fund the purchase.
7. Review and submit:
   Enter any additional requested purchase information, review the transaction, and submit it for approval.

Once approved, ClassWallet pays UWorld directly using the available education funding.