Have you heard of the CHOOSE Act? Alabama’s Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students' Education Act provides thousands of dollars to qualifying students throughout the state, beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.
This program provides education savings accounts (ESAs) for eligible students, which can be used for approved educational expenses, including tuition and fees for approved education service providers, curriculum, approved supplies, and more!
Who is Eligible for the Funds?
Students must be full-time Alabama residents entering grades K-12 to be eligible for the CHOOSE Act. Kindergarten students must be five years old by September 1 of the applicable school year.
If applying before January 2027, the student’s household income may not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level.
Click here for the most current eligibility requirements.
How Much are the Funds?
Students attending programs through education service providers like Enlightium Academy can receive up to $2,000 per school year, and households with multiple eligible students can receive up to $4,000 per year. The funds are disbursed annually.
These funds can be used to cover some or all of your student’s annual tuition and fees, depending on the tuition package selected.
Getting Started
Families must apply annually to receive CHOOSE Act funding for the upcoming school year. To use the funds, families must submit documentation of their expenses to the Alabama Department of Revenue via ClassWallet. The organization then verifies the expenses. If approved, the organization pays for the expenses using the student's CHOOSE Act funds, and Enlightium receives the payment through ClassWallet.
For the most part, accounts using ESAs are subject to the same billing policies as households using personal funds to pay for their students’ expenses. Please see below for special policies regarding discounts and households that pay directly from a voucher system.
ClassWallet and the Alabama Department of Revenue also have helpful resources for using an ESA. You can click here to get started.
When enrolling or re-enrolling at Enlightium Academy, in order to make sure your tuition payments are processed correctly and in a timely manner, please select on your student’s enrollment form that you will be paying tuition with ESA funds.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does Enlightium Academy qualify for Alabama’s CHOOSE Act funds?
Yes. If a student is participating in the CHOOSE Act, those funds can be used to pay their tuition. The funds can also be used for annual assessment fees and other services available at Enlightium Academy. Funds may also be used to pay for instructional materials or supplies if needed.
How can I get invoices to submit for payment or to provide to the ESA system?
Invoices or statements can be requested by emailing billing@enlightiumacademy.com. Quarterly and annual statements sent by Enlightium will be provided upon request and will fulfill the requirements for the state of Alabama. These requests are typically processed in 2-5 business days.
How can I pay Enlightium Academy directly through my student’s ESA?
ClassWallet has step-by-step instructions for paying vendors directly. You can view these instructions here. If you would prefer to watch a video tutorial, it can be found here.
If I have multiple students, can I use excess ESA funds from one student to cover expenses for another student?
No. Funds in a specific ESA may only be used for the student to whom the ESA funds were awarded. If you have multiple students with ESAs, you may use each student’s ESA for that student’s educational expenses.
How do I know if my payment from ClassWallet has been received?
Upon receiving payments from ClassWallet, Enlightium Academy’s billing team will email the primary contact of the household. A statement showing the original balance, the amount paid, and the balance or credit on each student’s account will be included. Please allow 5-10 business days for processing these payments.
Are there any fees for using ESA funds?
A $150 voucher processing fee is applied to students using a voucher system to pay for tuition. This covers the additional requirements Enlightium must comply with to be eligible for the program, as well as the additional services required to receive payments directly from ClassWallet and ensure that if the amounts due exceed the amount provided by the CHOOSE Act, other payments are scheduled correctly.
Am I still eligible for tuition discounts if I use an ESA?
Yes. Enlightium’s discounts can be applied to ESA recipients if the student otherwise qualifies for the discount. For questions about discounts, please email billing@enlightiumacademy.com.
Will my tuition payments be scheduled differently if I use ESA?
Yes. Up to $2,000 of your student's tuition will be scheduled as a single payment to be received through ClassWallet. If the total tuition and fees for the school year exceed $2,000, the remaining balance will be scheduled in a prepayment or a monthly payment, depending on your preference.
Does Enlightium accept funds from the Alabama Accountability Act?
At this time, Enlightium is not able to accept Alabama Accountability Act scholarships.
Does my student need to take a standardized assessment if they have an ESA?
Your student is not required to take a standardized assessment as a condition of using the ESA. However, standardized assessments provide valuable information about your student’s progress, and fees for standardized testing are an approved expense for the ESA.
Do you have another question? Reach out to billing@enlightiumacademy.com.
Since 2003, Enlightium faculty and staff have served partner schools, hybrid, online, and homeschool K-12 students. With parental support, excellent instruction, and a personalized approach to learning, Enlightium equips students with the academic, spiritual, physical, social, and emotional skills they need to succeed in life. For any other questions about Enlightium, please call (509) 319-2288 or visit EnlightiumAcademy.com.
