Alabama public schools down 5,000 students, but CHOOSE Act not entirely to blame

Alabama public schools could lose thousands of students this year, but not entirely because of the new CHOOSE Act, officials say.

Fall enrollment is down by more than 5,000 students this year, putting funding for hundreds of teachers’ jobs at risk, State Superintendent Eric Mackey told board members on Oct. 9. Detailed data due this week may explain what’s behind the record decline.

The shift comes as Alabama rolls out the CHOOSE Act , a new school choice program allowing families to use public funds for private school. The program gives families up to $7,000 per student and has nearly 24,000 participants this year.