About the Public School Access Scholarship

This scholarship is for low-income students interested in transferring from his or her current public school to a qualifying non-priority public school in a different district. AOSF will cover all mandatory transfer fees for your student each year at the public school of your choice as long as they are one of our partner schools.


Some districts do not accept transfer students. You will need to check with the public school that you are interested in sending your child to. If the school you're interested in is not a partner school with us, they can become a partner school with us by following the instructions listed here.

Eligibility

Do my children qualify for the scholarship?

Applying

How do I apply for the scholarship?

Documents

What documents do I need to apply?

Questions

Who do I contact if I have questions?

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive an AOSF scholarship, all families must meet the Scholarship Income Guidelines:


The scholarship is competitive with limited availability and is awarded on a first-completed, first-served basis and in compliance with the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA). Read below to see which situation you best fit in:



  1. A  student zoned for a “priority school,” which is any school that received a D or F on the most recent state report card.
  2. A student not zoned for a “priority school”.


Please note that in compliance with law, priority must be given to public school students zoned for and attending a "priority" school, and only 25% of all scholarships can be awarded to students continuously enrolled in a private school during the previous school year.


Awards are distributed on a first-completed, first-served basis with priority given to renewal students and new students zoned for and attending a “priority” public school.

Scholarships can be used at any of our partner schools. Parents are responsible for enrolling their child into the partner school and meeting any testing requirements the school may have.



Household Size Maximum Annual Income
2 $49,300
3 $62,150
4 $75,000
5 $87,850
6 $100,700
7 $113,550
8 $126,400

Applying

The scholarship application is completed via our online portal. The 2024-2025 scholarship application for new students will be open from

Monday, April 29 through Wednesday, May 1.


The interest list is closed and details have been sent out. If you have not received the application details email or would like information on how to apply, please email us at help@alosf.org.


Documents

If you are a renewal family, please click here.


If you are a new family that has not received the scholarship before or have not received a scholarship for the 2024-2025 school year but have received a scholarship in previous years, you will need the following:

  • 2023-2024 Alabama State Income Tax Return

    We use your state tax return to verify income eligibility. When completing your application, please ensure that you submit the Alabama State Income Tax Returns for all adults 18+ in the household. This includes any additional family members that are considered as part of the household on the application that are 18+ and not just parents and or legal guardians.


    If you have not filed a 2023 Alabama State Income Tax Return, you may alternatively provide your Federal 1040 or 1099. 


    No other forms will be accepted. 


    If any household member over the age of 18 is not required to file an Alabama State Income Tax return, they may electronically sign our Statement of No Wages during the application, OR they can sign a copy of the AOSF Statement of No Wages and attach it in the income section of the application. You can find the statement of no wages here. 

  • Birth Certificate*

    If your child is entering Kindergarten or 12th grade, please submit their birth certificate when completing the application. 


    Please note: Students entering kindergarten must be 5 years old by September 1 to be eligible for the scholarship. Additionally, students entering 12th grade can be no older than 19 by May 1st of the application year.

  • 3rd Quarter Report Card

    We look at the type of school your child attended during the school year (public, private, etc.). We do not look at your child's grades and grades will not be taken into consideration with application approval. 


    Since applications are due before the end of the school year, we require parents to submit most recent report of the first 3 quarters. Please ensure the report card shows the applicant's name and the school they are currently attending.


    As soon as the final report card is received, you are responsible for submitting the document to the application. 


    Your child's application will not be considered complete if the 3rd quarter report card is missing. Please ensure you submit the correct report card during the application.



Questions

  • How much does the scholarship cover?

    The scholarship will cover all mandatory fees and uses the remainder of your scholarship towards tuition. Scholarship amounts are as follows*:



    Grades K-5: $5,500


     Grades 6-8: $7,000


     Grades 9-12: $8,500


    *amounts may vary



    Please note: If tuition at your selected school is more than the scholarship award, then you are responsible for paying the difference.

  • How are scholarship awards decided?

    This is a competitive scholarship with thousands of applications and limited availability.


    Awards are distributed on a first-completed, first-served basis in their respective prioritization category and in compliance with the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA).


    AOSF prioritizes awards for the first two categories and use remaining funds (if available) toward the latter categories. The state requires that we prioritize awards in the following categories:


    1. Public school students zoned for a "priority" school
    2. Public school students not zoned for a "priority" school
    3. Private school students zoned for a "priority" school
    4. Private school students not zoned for a "priority" school.

    If there is any missing information that was detailed in the instruction email when you submit the application, your application will be considered incomplete. We will not reach out and ask for the missing documentation. The application will be considered incomplete, and we will move onto the next application that has all required documentation submitted. 



  • When will parents be notified of a decision?

    By law, scholarships may not be awarded to students zoned to a priority school until July 1st of each school year. The earliest parents would find out a decision July 1st. However, decisions can take up until early August. 


    Since there are limited scholarships available every year, we encourage parents to have other plans in place in the event their child does not receive the scholarship. Award decisions will be delivered via email from our portal.

  • What other scholarships are available?

    We offer two other scholarships. The General Scholarship has similar requirements to the PSA scholarship, but it will pay for mandatory fees and tuition at any of our partner schools.  We also offer the Unique Needs Scholarship for students who have an active IEP or 504 plan. To learn more about the other scholarships we offer, please click here.

  • Who can I speak with to learn more?

    Feel free to contact us anytime by calling 205-506-2708 or email us at help@alosf.org. 

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