NC Opportunity Scholarships

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.

Data shows that in Forsyth County, 40% of students receiving private school vouchers this academic year fall under the top two income tiers. Those 1,300 students wouldn’t have previously been eligible for state money.

Last year, the North Carolina General Assembly voted to significantly increase funding for private school vouchers, also known as Opportunity Scholarships. The state has spent nearly $383 million on these vouchers in this academic year alone.

North Carolina lawmakers are expected to vote this week on a veto override of a bill that would commit nearly $6.5 billion in state funding for private school vouchers over the next decade. The Opportunity Scholarships have evolved over the past decade from a small $10 million pilot program, to a major budget expense that could transform education in the state.

Senate Bill 406 would remove the existing income caps for private school vouchers, and create a sliding scale for all North Carolina families.