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Birmingham · Hoover · Homewood · Bessemer · Alabaster · all of Jefferson & Shelby

$7,000 a year toward private school, and 2027-28 has no income test.

Alabama's CHOOSE Act puts $7,000 into an education account for each student at a participating school. 66 of the 102 private schools in Jefferson and Shelby counties are on the state's list. We map the programs, the dates and the schools so you know what you'd actually owe.

Check what my family qualifies forBrowse all 102 schools

Start your funding check

Answer three questions and we'll take you to the full check.

$7,000

CHOOSE Act ESA per student enrolled at a participating school, loaded into ClassWallet each July.

66

Jefferson and Shelby private schools on ALDOR's participating list dated October 23, 2026.

Jan 2027

2027-28 applications open, the first cycle with no household income limit.

$2,000

Per home-educated student, up to $4,000 a family, for curriculum, tutoring and therapies.

A Birmingham mother and father at their kitchen table with a laptop and a printed tuition statement, working out what the ESA covers
The math most families do

What does a $9,500 school cost after the ESA?

Here is an illustrative third grader at a Christian school charging $9,500 a year, with a $300 uniform and field-trip budget the ESA can't touch.

Tuition (illustrative)$9,500
CHOOSE Act ESA− $7,000
Sibling discount (illustrative)− $400
Uniforms and field trips (family pays)+ $300
Family's share for the year$2,400

Illustrative only. The $7,000 is the statutory CHOOSE Act amount; the tuition, discount and fee figures are assumptions, because neither the federal survey nor the state list reports tuition.

Every source

The programs a Birmingham family can use

The state ESA, donor-funded SGO scholarships, the 2027 federal credit, free pre-K, child care help and Catholic school funding.

State ESA · $7,000

CHOOSE Act ESA for a Participating School

Alabama's Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students' Education (CHOOSE) Act puts up to $7,000 a year into a ClassWallet education savings account for a K5-12 student enrolled at a state-approved private school.

Rules and dates →State ESA · $2,000

CHOOSE Act Home-Education ESA

A student who is not enrolled in a participating school, such as a homeschooled child, a co-op learner or a student in a group program, can receive up to $2,000 a year, capped at $4,000 per family.

Rules and dates →SGO scholarship · up to $10,000

Alabama Accountability Act Tax-Credit Scholarships

Scholarship granting organizations (SGOs) fund private-school scholarships of up to $10,000 with donations that Alabama taxpayers redirect from their state income tax.

Rules and dates →New · 2027

Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit (2027)

Alabama joined the new federal scholarship tax credit on January 16, 2026. From 2027, donors earn a federal credit for gifts to ALDOR-certified SGOs, which fund scholarships for families up to 300% of area median income.

Rules and dates →Free · Age 4

Alabama First Class Pre-K

Alabama's state-funded pre-K is free for any child who is 4 on September 1, with no income test. Classrooms run 6.5 hours a day in public schools, child care centers, Head Start programs and faith-based centers.

Rules and dates →Income-based

Child Care Subsidies (Jefferson & Shelby)

Working families can get help with child care through the Alabama DHR Child Care Subsidy Program, managed locally by Child Care Central, and through Childcare Resources' Supplemental Child Care Program for children under 5.

Rules and dates →

All 9 sources and deadlines

Alabama's three ways to pay for private school

ProgramWhat it isWhat it isn't
CHOOSE Act ESAA $7,000 / $2,000 parent-directed accountA tuition check mailed to the school
Accountability Act scholarshipA donor-funded award of up to $10,000Combinable with the ESA for the same child
Federal tax credit (2027)New SGO scholarships for households up to 300% of area median incomeAvailable before January 1, 2027
Beyond tuition

An ESA pays for more than a classroom seat

Textbooks, tutors, licensed therapists, curriculum, devices within limits, AP and ACT fees and dual-enrollment courses are all approved categories. So is a long list of exclusions.

Tuition & approved school fees

For a child enrolled at a participating school, tuition is what the $7,000 account was designed around, and the par…

The rules →

Textbooks

Textbooks, including audiobooks, are approved in core subjects and in religion, which matters at the many faith-bas…

The rules →

Private tutoring

Tutoring in approved subjects, in person or online, can be paid from either account, which makes it central to the …

The rules →

Educational therapies

For students with disabilities the account can pay licensed therapists directly, which is why the CHOOSE Act matter…

The rules →

Curriculum, workbooks & supplemental reading

Full curricula, workbooks, flashcards and supplemental reading tied to approved subjects are all on the list.…

The rules →

Computers & technology

Devices are approved, but each kind has a firm dollar limit and a replacement schedule.…

The rules →

School supplies & instructional materials

Binders, calculators, art supplies, manipulatives and science kits are approved, with item caps on bigger pieces.…

The rules →

Online courses & online schools

Approved nonpublic online programs and educational subscriptions can be paid for the current academic year.…

The rules →

All 13 categories   Income-limit calculator

How it works

Three steps with Birmingham Edu Funding

Answer five questions

Grade, the kind of school you want, your part of the metro, household size and timing. No documents and no Social Security number.

Get your list of sources

A tuition counselor calls back with the programs your child fits, which one to choose where two can't be combined, and the next date that matters.

Apply on time

We point you to the official CHOOSE Act, SGO and pre-K applications and to schools that can take the money, so the January window doesn't slip past.

School directory

102 private schools across Jefferson and Shelby counties

Grades, affiliation, reported enrollment and association memberships from the federal survey, matched to the state's CHOOSE Act list.

Catholic Schools

Parish elementaries, a Catholic Montessori academy and two high schools, all within the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama.

10 schools →

Christian Schools

Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopal, Pentecostal, Adventist, Assembly of God and non-denominational Christian schools across both counties.

54 schools →

Church-Run Schools

Schools whose registered name ties them to a congregation or ministry: church academies, Baptist day schools and weekday early-education programs.

16 schools →

Independent Schools

Schools with no religious affiliation in the federal survey (college prep, progressive, special education, alternative) plus state-listed schools whose affiliation the list does not record.

36 schools →

Montessori & Waldorf Schools

Montessori campuses from Alabaster to the 280 corridor and the Alabama Waldorf School in Crestwood.

8 schools →

Preschools & Weekday Early Education

Church weekday programs, kindergartens and early-learning centers that stop before first grade.

21 schools →

High Schools (Grades 9-12)

Schools that teach through grade 12, from Catholic high schools to K-12 Christian campuses and independent college prep.

30 schools →

By community: Downtown, Southside & Highland Park · Homewood, Mountain Brook & Crestline · Crestwood, Avondale, East Lake & Irondale · Roebuck, Huffman & Center Point · West End, Ensley & Midfield · Gardendale, Forestdale, Pinson & North Jefferson · Bessemer, Hueytown, Fairfield & McCalla · Trussville & Leeds · Hoover, Vestavia Hills & Cahaba Heights · US-280 Corridor & Oak Mountain · Alabaster, Pelham, Helena, Columbiana & South Shelby

For schools, churches & ministries

Running a school, or thinking about one?

Accreditation is what stands between a church school and ESA money in Alabama. Our partner pages walk through the accreditors the law accepts and how ClassWallet pays.

Partner with usStart a church school
Brick church school building with a playground and students lining up after recess in a Birmingham neighborhood
A Birmingham student opening a new laptop: a CHOOSE Act ESA can cover a computer under $1,200
Technology

Can a CHOOSE Act ESA pay for a new laptop in Birmingham?

Yes. A CHOOSE Act ESA can cover one laptop, desktop or tablet under $1,200 per student every two academic years.

The device has to be primarily educational, with no gaming, and the product warranty counts toward the cap. Printers, monitors and headsets fall under a separate $500-a-year accessories limit. Jefferson and Shelby County families can buy through the ClassWallet marketplace, where Best Buy and Staples are among the listed vendors. Rules apply.

See the device rulesCheck if your child qualifies
Latest

From the blog

Oct 28, 2026

From First Class Pre-K to K5: mapping a Birmingham 4-year-old's next two years of funding

Pre-K is free but assigned by drawing; the $7,000 ESA starts the year your child turns 5. Here is the two-year map.

Read →Oct 26, 2026

No income cap in 2027-28: what last spring's CHOOSE Act numbers tell Birmingham families

Applications jumped by about 12,000 students in a year. The income cap goes away next, but the priority order does not.

Read →Oct 23, 2026

Birmingham's tutors, therapists and online programs on the CHOOSE Act provider list

86 tutoring or microschool listings and 22 therapy listings carry a Jefferson or Shelby city. Here is how families pay them from an ESA.

Read →
Short answers

Questions Birmingham parents ask first

How much does the CHOOSE Act give a Birmingham private school student?

The CHOOSE Act education savings account (ESA) pays up to $7,000 a year for a K5-12 student enrolled at a school on the Alabama Department of Revenue's participating list, or $2,000 per home-educated student with a $4,000 family cap.

Is there an income limit for Alabama's ESA in 2027-28?

No. The 300%-of-poverty limit applied only to the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years; 2027-28 applications, opening in January 2027, are open to every Alabama family, with priority groups still served first.

How many private schools in Jefferson and Shelby counties take the CHOOSE Act?

66 of the 102 private schools in our directory are on ALDOR's participating-school list dated October 23, 2026.

Can I use the CHOOSE Act and an Accountability Act scholarship together?

No. A student who receives an Alabama Accountability Act scholarship is not eligible for the CHOOSE Act, so families compare the two and choose one per child.

Is pre-K free in Birmingham?

First Class Pre-K is free for any Alabama child who is 4 by September 1, with no income test, but seats are filled by random drawing at each site, so families register for several.

See which Alabama programs fit your child

Five questions, about two minutes. Then a tuition counselor phones with the programs and dates for your child.

Start the funding check →