North Carolina
U.S.
Rank
Rank
#5
Overall PPI Score: 82.5%
The story of the Tarheel state is that when lawmakers and advocates stick together and don't waver, they can succeed. It's a lesson that lagging states would do well to embrace if they are to boost parent power. The state legislature expanded a small but important opportunity scholarship program in 2023 despite an opposing governor, and expanded the ability of charter schools to thrive as well. Innovations across all sectors, traditional public included, have been rewarded and provide meaningful choices to parents making the state a top ten on the PPI.
Opportunity
Innovation
Policy Environment
Charter Schools
Score
82%
Grade: B
Rank: #12
With the twelfth strongest charter law in the nation and one of the earliest laws enacted, North Carolina continues to make great strides in expanding and establishing innovative charter schools with many offering unique career certification pathways that meet...
Transformational Learning
Score
82%
Grade: B
Rank: #11
Work-based learning along with credits towards graduation and CTE diplomas are part of the innovative approaches in North Carolina. The state offers a portrait of a graduate which signals a commitment to a mastery-based education model; it does not permit...
Leadership
The parents of the Tar Heel state will have an uphill battle with Governor Josh Stein. He’s not interested in education freedom, and if he has his way, thousands of children and future students would be stripped of the opportunity to attend a school that meets...
Choice Programs (Scholarships, Vouchers, Tax Credits, etc.)
Score
82%
Grade: B
Rank: #5
A significant expansion of the state's modest Opportunity Scholarship program in September 2023 made it the ninth state to enact a universal school choice program and put North Carolina among the top, most parent power friendly states in the nation! Most...
DID YOU KNOW?
Thanks to bold state efforts, one in five students now have access to expansive opportunities for a myriad of learning approaches across public and private sectors, with more than 20 million eligible — a 60% increase in just two years!
Transparency
School and district report cards are easily accessible and highlighted on the homepage of North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s website. Report cards are easy to navigate, with an interactive map by district and data formatted in easy-to-read...
Teacher Quality
One of many data points to assess whether a state has the right policies in place to ensure teacher quality is the "use of student achievement data in teacher preparation accountability." How empty or full the fuel tank above is will give you the answer for your state.
Fast Facts:
4th Grade Math Proficiency: 35%
8th Grade Math Proficiency: 26%
4th Grade Reading Proficiency: 32%
8th Grade Reading Proficiency: 26%
Average SAT Score: 1127 / 1600
Average ACT Score: 18.5 / 36
Graduation Rate: 87%
Constitutional Issues
"The North Carolina Constitution does not have a Blaine Amendment or a Compelled Support Clause, and state cases look to federal Establishment Clause precedent. In 2014, The North Carolina Supreme Court upheld the new Opportunity Scholarship program [similar...