EdChoice just published a new report that examines North Carolina’s school choice programs by surveying K–12 parents in the state.  According to “Families’ Schooling Experiences in North Carolina,”

  • Over 80 percent of Education Savings Account (ESA) parents and Opportunity Scholarship parents are satisfied with their respective school choice programs.
  • Nearly half (47%) of private, charter, traditional public, and homeschool parents who have never had a child participate in an ESA or voucher program said they were unaware the programs existed.
  • Academics is an influential factor for all respondents when choosing a school.
  • Safe environment is the most important reason for ESA parents.
  • Parents give very high ratings to their child’s school across multiple dimensions of school climate.
    • Although their satisfaction levels are lower than parents with children in other schooling sectors, more than three-quarters of ESA and Opportunity Scholarship parents are satisfied with their child’s school.
    • 73 percent of ESA parents and 74 percent of Opportunity Scholarship parents are more satisfied with their program school than their child’s pre-program school and only 6 percent of each group said they are less satisfied.
  • ESA and Opportunity Scholarship parents are generally more involved in their child’s education at home, especially compared to traditional public school parents.
    • Roughly two-thirds of ESA and Opportunity Scholarship Parents increase home-based parental involvement once their child is participating in the program.
    • Opportunity Scholarship parents are more likely than ESA parents to agree that program participation led to greater involvement in their child’s education.
  • ESA and Opportunity Scholarship parents are more likely to volunteer at their child’s school than other parents.
    • Most ESA and Opportunity Scholarship Parents increase school-based parental involvement once their child is participating in the program.