CHOOSE Act data shows which private schools enroll the most ESA students

In the first year of Alabama’s CHOOSE Act, a small group of private schools are already seeing the majority of their students using the state-funded education savings accounts.

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Data obtained and analyzed exclusively by Alabama Daily News from the Alabama Department of Revenue on the 12,500 private school students using ESAs this year  show that eight of the 245 participating private schools have more than half of their maximum student enrollment funded through ESAs.

Another 23 schools showed that between one-third and one-half of their students — if they were at maximum enrollment — are covered by ESAs.

At Dyslexia Services of Baldwin County in Robertsdale, ALDOR’s numbers show that 16 students are ESA recipients — 80% of the school’s maximum enrollment capacity of 20 students.

The school specializes in teaching children with dyslexia and Director Susanne Avery is thrilled that the CHOOSE Act has allowed families to access services they couldn’t afford before.

“It opened the door for a lot of kids that couldn’t afford this type of service,” Avery said.

The school, established as a nonprofit tutoring center in 2012 and expanded into a full-time school three years ago, moved into a larger building before the start of the school year after seeing an increased demand for enrollment.

Tuition is $6,500 annually or $675 monthly — within the $7,000 annual limit on the CHOOSE Act – and the school’s after-school tutoring can also be paid for with ESA funds.

Hers is one of only a handful of private schools in Alabama dedicated to serving students with dyslexia. Avery said students generally attend for three years before returning to their previous school.

Special needs

The CHOOSE Act gives priority to the first 500 ESAs for students with special needs and Avery said that has made a difference for families seeking specialized instruction.

Avery said the word of the new funding has spread quickly.

“I think it’s going to be bigger next year, because I think people are going to be ready for the deadlines,” she said.

Applications for the 2026-27 school year open in January.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Trisha Powell Crain and originally published by Alabama Daily News.