• The week of Jan. 26 through Feb. 1, celebrated around the country as National School Choice Week, presents an opportunity to evaluate North Carolina’s progress on school choice, both its successes and areas for improvement
  • About 76 percent of K–12 students in North Carolina attend traditional public schools, yet a recent study ranked the state last on providing choices within that sector
  • Charter schools represent the fastest-growing sector of K–12 enrollment, yet 37 counties are without charter schools, and demand outpaces supply

From now through Feb. 1, celebrations are being held throughout the country in honor of National School Choice Week. Although the occasion is not officially recognized by gubernatorial proclamation in North Carolina, residents of the Old North State still have cause for celebration.

In 2023, North Carolina expanded eligibility for the Opportunity Scholarship voucher program so that all families throughout the state could apply for money to help cover the costs of private school tuition. Last year, the General Assembly followed up on this victory by allocating funds for all Opportunity Scholarship applicants, as well as for everyone who applied to the Education Student Accounts (ESA+) program, which supports students with special needs.

Where does school choice stand in North Carolina today? Some numbers will help tell the story.

General Enrollment Trends

Overall, about 76 percent of K–12 students in North Carolina are enrolled in traditional public schools. The number of students attending these schools has declined about 3 percent over the five-year period since the start of the pandemic (from 1.41 million in 2019–20 to 1.36 million in 2023–24).

Meanwhile, the number of students who attend schools of choice (private, charter, or home schools) has increased by about 17 percent over the same period (from 369,333 in 2019–20 to 432,778 in 2023–24). Last school year, about 7 percent of students were enrolled in private schools, 8 percent in charter schools, and 9 percent in home schools.

Sources: North Carolina Statistical Profile Online; North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education

Traditional Public Schools

As the numbers show, about three-quarters of K–12 students in North Carolina attend one of approximately 2,500 traditional public schools across 115 districts. Some of these schools are considered magnet schools, which are often geared toward programs like STEM or the arts.

Despite this fact, North Carolina could do more to promote choice for students who attend traditional public schools. In a 2024 study, North Carolina tied with Alaska, Maine, and Maryland as the state with the weakest (i.e., nonexistent) statewide open enrollment laws.

Open Enrollment Scores by State, 2024

Source: Jude Schwalbach, “Public Schools Without Boundaries 2024

Open enrollment, which lets students transfer to public schools other than the ones to which they are residentially assigned (the new schools could be either in the same district or in another district, depending on the policy), would give students more educational options within the traditional public school system. After all, in North Carolina, there’s nowhere to go but up.

Charter Schools

Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that have greater flexibility than their traditional counterparts with regard to certain things like teacher certification requirements and administrative regulations.

Charter schools are becoming increasingly popular among North Carolina families. In 2023–24, nearly 144,000 students attended North Carolina’s 210 charter schools. In fact, with a nearly 5 percent increase in enrollment from the prior year, charter schools have become the fastest-growing sector of K–12 enrollment.

Source: North Carolina Statistical Profile Online

Despite the popularity of charter schools, not all students have access to them. Currently, nearly four in 10 counties throughout the state don’t have any charter schools, and more than 85,000 students were on waitlists for charter school admission during the 2023–24 school year.

Polling suggests that North Carolina residents want policymakers to improve access to charter schools. According to the January 2024 Carolina Journal poll, 59 percent of likely voters responded that they would support offering more charter school options in their local area.

Home Schools

Many parents in North Carolina have chosen to exercise their fundamental right to direct the education and upbringing of their children through home schooling.

During the 2023–24 school year, about one out of every 10 students (9 percent of K–12 enrollment) was home schooled, up 3 percent from the prior year. Throughout the state, an estimated 157,642 students attended 96,529 home schools, 47 percent of which were not religiously affiliated.

Source: North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education

After a substantial spike in home school enrollment during the pandemic as school closures forced parents to seek alternative educational arrangements, enrollment may now appear to be lower. This can, however, be attributed in part to efforts to update enrollment records and remove those of students who are no longer home schooled. Nevertheless, enrollment today is still higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Private Schools

Private schools are another sector of K–12 enrollment becoming increasingly popular. In 2023–24, 131,230 students were enrolled in private schools. Of the 881 private schools, 35 percent were not religious.

North Carolina has two programs that help families afford to send their kids to private schools. The biggest program is the Opportunity Scholarship program, which awards scholarships toward private school tuition. Awards range from about $3,000 to about $7,000, depending on household income, and families with the greatest financial need receive priority. The average award in 2023–24 was $5,701. That same year, 32,549 recipients enrolled in 592 schools.

Source: North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority

North Carolina also has the Education Student Accounts (ESA+) program, which helps students with special needs attend private schools and cover other educational expenses like therapies or tutoring. Most participants are eligible for up to $9,000, but awards could be up to $17,000 in some cases. In 2023–24, 3,566 students received ESA+ awards, and the average amount was $6,965.

For more facts about school choice in North Carolina, see the 2025 edition of “NC School Choice by the Numbers.”