Public Dollars, Private Schools: Evaluating Access, Affordability, and Accountability in North Carolina's Universal Voucher Program
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| Title: | Public Dollars, Private Schools: Evaluating Access, Affordability, and Accountability in North Carolina's Universal Voucher Program |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Elizabeth Paul, Lauren Fox, Contributor, Sara Howell, Contributor, Jennifer Rifkin, Contributor, Public School Forum of North Carolina |
| Source: | Public School Forum of North Carolina. 2025. |
| Availability: | Public School Forum of North Carolina. 3739 National Drive Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27612. Tel: 919-781-6833; Fax: 919-781-6527; Web site: http://www.ncforum.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 40 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Educational Vouchers, Educational Finance, State Programs, State Aid, Scholarship Funds, School Choice, Private Schools, Eligibility, Accountability, Access to Education, Program Evaluation, Educational Quality |
| Geographic Terms: | North Carolina |
| Abstract: | As the education privatization movement has spread across the country, school voucher programs have become more common and more expansive in many states. These programs use taxpayer dollars to provide scholarships to families to send their children to nonpublic schools. Like many voucher programs, North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship Program, which was created by the General Assembly in 2013, was originally reserved for families with limited financial resources. In order to qualify, applicants also had to have been enrolled previously in public schools. Proponents of the program argued that it would provide "choice" for families who felt their local public school was not the right fit for their children but would otherwise not be able to afford private school tuition. A decade after its creation, North Carolina lawmakers passed dramatic changes to the Opportunity Scholarship Program, allowing any family to qualify regardless of income or whether they had ever enrolled in public school. Under the new "universal" voucher program, the state's wealthiest families are eligible to receive public funds to subsidize their private school tuition. Expanded access has come with a hefty price tag for taxpayers--nearly half a billion dollars was sent to private schools through vouchers in the 2024-25 school year, and planned appropriations through 2032-33 will total approximately $7 billion, while local public schools that serve 84% of students in the state are among the lowest-funded in the nation. This report addresses several critical questions about school vouchers in North Carolina, using data from the first year since universal expansion: Is the program actually providing more choice to parents and students? Who has access to the private schools that receive voucher funding, and who is benefitting most? What information is publicly available to prospective parents about the quality of private schools they may be considering for their children? To what extent are private schools receiving vouchers held accountable to the taxpayers who fund them? |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED681118 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 CustomLinks: – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED681118 Name: ERIC Full Text Category: fullText Text: Full Text from ERIC |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Public Dollars, Private Schools: Evaluating Access, Affordability, and Accountability in North Carolina's Universal Voucher Program – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Elizabeth+Paul%22">Elizabeth Paul</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lauren+Fox%2C+Contributor%22">Lauren Fox, Contributor</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sara+Howell%2C+Contributor%22">Sara Howell, Contributor</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jennifer+Rifkin%2C+Contributor%22">Jennifer Rifkin, Contributor</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Public+School+Forum+of+North+Carolina%22">Public School Forum of North Carolina</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Public+School+Forum+of+North+Carolina%22"><i>Public School Forum of North Carolina</i></searchLink>. 2025. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Public School Forum of North Carolina. 3739 National Drive Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27612. Tel: 919-781-6833; Fax: 919-781-6527; Web site: http://www.ncforum.org – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: N – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 40 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Reports - Research – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Vouchers%22">Educational Vouchers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Finance%22">Educational Finance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22State+Programs%22">State Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22State+Aid%22">State Aid</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scholarship+Funds%22">Scholarship Funds</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Choice%22">School Choice</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Private+Schools%22">Private Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Eligibility%22">Eligibility</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Accountability%22">Accountability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Access+to+Education%22">Access to Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Evaluation%22">Program Evaluation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Quality%22">Educational Quality</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22North+Carolina%22">North Carolina</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: As the education privatization movement has spread across the country, school voucher programs have become more common and more expansive in many states. These programs use taxpayer dollars to provide scholarships to families to send their children to nonpublic schools. Like many voucher programs, North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship Program, which was created by the General Assembly in 2013, was originally reserved for families with limited financial resources. In order to qualify, applicants also had to have been enrolled previously in public schools. Proponents of the program argued that it would provide "choice" for families who felt their local public school was not the right fit for their children but would otherwise not be able to afford private school tuition. A decade after its creation, North Carolina lawmakers passed dramatic changes to the Opportunity Scholarship Program, allowing any family to qualify regardless of income or whether they had ever enrolled in public school. Under the new "universal" voucher program, the state's wealthiest families are eligible to receive public funds to subsidize their private school tuition. Expanded access has come with a hefty price tag for taxpayers--nearly half a billion dollars was sent to private schools through vouchers in the 2024-25 school year, and planned appropriations through 2032-33 will total approximately $7 billion, while local public schools that serve 84% of students in the state are among the lowest-funded in the nation. This report addresses several critical questions about school vouchers in North Carolina, using data from the first year since universal expansion: Is the program actually providing more choice to parents and students? Who has access to the private schools that receive voucher funding, and who is benefitting most? What information is publicly available to prospective parents about the quality of private schools they may be considering for their children? To what extent are private schools receiving vouchers held accountable to the taxpayers who fund them? – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2026 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: ED681118 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED681118 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 40 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Educational Vouchers Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational Finance Type: general – SubjectFull: State Programs Type: general – SubjectFull: State Aid Type: general – SubjectFull: Scholarship Funds Type: general – SubjectFull: School Choice Type: general – SubjectFull: Private Schools Type: general – SubjectFull: Eligibility Type: general – SubjectFull: Accountability Type: general – SubjectFull: Access to Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Program Evaluation Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational Quality Type: general – SubjectFull: North Carolina Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Public Dollars, Private Schools: Evaluating Access, Affordability, and Accountability in North Carolina's Universal Voucher Program Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Public School Forum of North Carolina – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Elizabeth Paul – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Lauren Fox, Contributor – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sara Howell, Contributor – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Jennifer Rifkin, Contributor IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 08 Type: published Y: 2025 Titles: – TitleFull: Public School Forum of North Carolina Type: main |
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