Last Thursday the John Locke Foundation released its annual January School Choice Poll. The poll of 700 likely voters in North Carolina was taken from January 22 to January 25, 2026, and questions on school choice, public schools, and education in the Tar Heel State.
Some of the key findings include:
Local public schools
North Carolinians are not happy about local public schools: When asked how satisfied you are with the quality of K–12 education students receive in your local public school, 35 percent of respondents said they were satisfied, while 47 percent said they were dissatisfied.
North Carolina schools
When asked a similar question about satisfaction with the public schools in North Carolina statewide, 53 percent of respondents said they were dissatisfied; twenty-nine percent said they were satisfied.
Charter schools
Support for charter schools is still strong at 57 percent, while 33 percent oppose. Over the past three years, support has dropped 11 percent.
School spending
A plurality of voters (33 percent) is unsure how much North Carolina spends per student. Twenty percent of respondents chose the correct range ($10,000–$14,999). When told that spending per student is $13,100, 43 percent of respondents said spending is “too little.”
Opportunity Scholarship
The Opportunity Scholarship Program continues to enjoy strong support; sixty-four percent of respondents support the program while 29 percent of respondents oppose it.
Open enrollment
Seventy-nine percent of respondents said they support intra-district open enrollment in local public schools, while 13 percent of respondents oppose open enrollment.
Covid shutdowns
Eighty-three percent of respondents said school shutdowns and closures in response to the Coronavirus pandemic had a negative impact on schools and students; five percent of students said the shutdown had minimal to no impact, while 2 percent of respondents said the shutdown had a positive impact for students. Eleven percent of respondents were unsure about Covid’s impact on students and schools.
Covid funding
Forty-five percent of respondents believe the state did a poor job of spending federal Covid recovery money; twenty percent said the state did a good job of spending the money while 13 percent said it was neither a poor or good job. Twenty-two percent of respondents were unsure about the job schools and students had done.
School board grades
When given the chance to grade their local school boards, a plurality of respondents gave their local school board a C, with comparable numbers for B (17 percent) and D (17 percent). Respondents awarded three times as many F’s (10.8 percent) as A’s (3.6 percent).
To review January poll results, see here. To review cross tabs for the poll, see here.
For other articles and information on School Choice Week:
NC school choice: Growth comes with challenges
Can North Carolina meet the growing demand for more educational options?
Carolina Journal: 2026 School Choice Poll
Carolina Journal: Debrief on School Choice
NC School Choice by the numbers, 2026
