The McDades are one of thousands of Alabama families utilizing the CHOOSE Act, an education savings account (ESA) program signed into law in 2024, this school year.
Breauna McDade, of Montgomery, has three sons who are 14, 11, and 4 years old. KaMarrion McDade is beginning sixth grade this 2025-2026 school year and transferring from a public school to Valiant Cross Academy in Montgomery.
KaMarrion’s education is being supported by the newly established CHOOSE Act program.
“The CHOOSE Act is supporting thousands of Alabama families across our state, families like the McDades,” Governor Kay Ivey said. “KaMarrion’s mom shared that she had the goal to send all of her boys to Valiant Cross to receive a quality education and to grow as young men, and the CHOOSE Act is helping her do just that. I am proud to see this Alabama mom and her boys receive the education they desire!”
Valiant Cross Academy is a fully accredited all-male school that started in 2015 with sixth grade and celebrated its first graduating class in 2022. It is a private school with a Christian emphasis and an intentional culture of structure and discipline, according to the school’s website. The school currently serves 6th-12th grades and 210 scholars.
Breauna learned of Valiant Cross Academy while she worked in a daycare. She noticed the positive changes occurring in the boys who attended the school and wanted the same for her sons. Her oldest, KaMerrin, already attends Valiant Cross through the Alabama Accountability Act. While Breauna was generally happy with the public school education KaMarrion received, she simply wanted the Valiant Cross Academy education that aligned with the values she instilled in her boys at home.
“Do it. Use it. It’s only paperwork. The hardest part is the five-minute application. Give your children the advantage we did not have growing up,” Breauna McDade said of the CHOOSE Act.
The CHOOSE Act makes refundable income tax credits called education savings accounts available to eligible K-12 students in Alabama. An ESA can be used to pay for tuition, fees and other qualified education expenses at approved Education Service Providers (ESPs) in Alabama.
Since CHOOSE Act applications opened in January 2025, students in every county throughout the state have applied, totaling 36,873 students. Funding for eligible students includes:
- $7,000 per eligible student enrolled in a participating school
- $2,000 per participating student enrolled in a home education program (maximum of $4,000 per family)
According to the Alabama Department of Revenue, which administers the program, students from every grade level applied for funding this year, with over 23,000 students receiving approval. This equates to over $124 million in ESAs supporting school choice for Alabama families and students.
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