The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) released the 2025 edition of the Index of State Education Freedom: A 50-State Guide to Parental Empowerment last week.
The rankings are a detailed evaluation of how states are expanding parental choice and advancing universal education freedom.
According to ALEC’s 2025 index, Alabama had the 11th most educational freedom in the nation, up 11 spots from the 2023-2024 index.
In 2024, Alabama legislators and Gov. Kay Ivey passed the CHOOSE Act, which provides ESAs to eligible K-12 students to help pay for school tuition, tutoring, educational therapies and other qualified education expenses at approved education service providers across the state.
The Alabama Department of Revenue has received 6,979 family applications for 11,916 students so far for the CHOOSE Act program as of January 10.
“Lawmakers now have a proven blueprint to prioritize students while delivering universal education freedom for every family,” said ALEC CEO Lisa B. Nelson. “This analysis underscores the transformative policies that empower families, reflecting the vital role of states as laboratories of democracy in shaping education policy.”
The index's release coincides with National School Choice Week this week. It evaluates state education policies across five critical categories: education freedom programs, charter schools, homeschooling, virtual schooling and open enrollment.
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