North Carolina's spending on private school vouchers more than doubled over last year

The number of students receiving private school vouchers in North Carolina more than doubled over the last year, as did the total amount spent. 

This year, the state spent over $432 million helping about 80,000 students attend private schools. 

That’s nearly $250 million more than it spent last year, and more than twice the number of recipients. And the statewide trend is mirrored in the Triad. 

Guilford County saw an increase of 2,600 students receiving Opportunity Scholarships over the figures from 2023-2024. 

The amount of money spent on the vouchers went up drastically too, from about $10 million to more than $23 million. 

The story is the same in Forsyth County, where the number of recipients and amount spent more than doubled.

Data also shows that thousands of private school voucher recipients this year would not have previously qualified for the program because their household incomes were too high. 

Gov. Josh Stein urged the legislature to scale back the voucher program in the upcoming state budget back in March, but so far, it remains intact.

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.