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January 20, 2026

[1]www.publicschoolsfirstnc.org
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New Report! North Carolina School Vouchers:

Destroying Public Education

Our new report takes a close look at North Carolina’s voucher programs,
showing how they have mutated far beyond their original legislated purpose
to become a massive drain on the state budget. So-called “Opportunity
Scholarship” private school tuition vouchers have expanded rapidly over the
past few years, transforming a limited, targeted initiative into a
universal entitlement that redirects substantial public resources to
private education.

Originally justified as a way to support low-income families seeking
alternatives to the underperforming public schools their children were
attending, the state’s voucher programs now function primarily as broad
subsidies for private school tuition, including for wealthy families who
have never enrolled their children in public schools rather than expanding
educational options for underserved students.

North Carolina School Vouchers: Destroying Public Education examines the
history of the NC’s voucher programs in the state, explores the original
justifications for implementing them, and documents their growth; analyzes
the pedagogical and operational differences between public and private
schools; considers the mechanisms through which private schools are exempt
from accountability measures that apply to public schools; and
discusses problems with voucher programs in North Carolina and in other
states, including poor academic outcomes.

In addition, the report identifies and analyzes problematic features of
voucher schools such as racial segregation, discriminatory admissions
policies, private school tuition increases, and lack of financial
transparency.

The rapid growth of vouchers has undermined public schools. At the same
time voucher funding has accelerated, public school funding has remained
largely flat in recent budgets. North Carolina’s drop in the national
rankings for teacher pay and per pupil expenditure reflects the
legislature’s failure to sufficiently support our public schools.

By the end of the 2024–25 school year, legislators had appropriated more
than $1.4 billion for vouchers. Under current law, annual voucher funding
is scheduled to continue rising sharply, reaching nearly $1 billion per
year within the next decade. These increases have occurred even as public
schools face persistent underfunding, dropping the state to the bottom of
national rankings.

In Education Law Center’s December 2025 report, North Carolina ranked #50
in education funding level and #50 in funding effort.

NC’s voucher expansion represents a profound shift in public education
policy: from strengthening a uniform system of free public schools to
financing multiple, parallel systems with unequal standards and oversight

[7]Read the Report

Help us support public schools!

Public Schools First NC is a statewide nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit
focused solely

on pre-K to 12 public education issues. We collaborate with parents,
teachers, business and civic leaders, and communities across North Carolina
to advocate for one unified system of public education that prepares each
child for productive citizenship.

DONATE HERE

[8]www.publicschoolsfirstnc.org

Questions? Contact us today at [email protected]

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PO Box 37832
Raleigh, NC 27627
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