New reports from the state government of North Carolina reveal a steady increase in enrollment in private and homeschools year after year.
According to the North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education, for the 2023-2024 academic year, K-12 enrollment in private schools reached 131,230 students, while homeschooled students totaled 157,642. This reflects a 3.2% increase in private school enrollment and a 3% increase in homeschool enrollment compared to the previous school year.
The state’s private schools are divided into two main categories: independent schools and religious schools. There are 308 independent schools with 38,011 students, while 573 schools are affiliated with a religion with 93,219 enrolled students. The gender distribution is almost even, with 65,875 male students, or 50.2%, and 65,355 female students, or 49.8%.
Dr. Robert Luebke, director of the Center for Effective Education at the John Locke Foundation, stated, “The new advancements in private school enrollment and homeschooling in North Carolina confirm what has become clear since the pandemic: parents want educational options for their children. This can only be a good thing as parents are empowered to find the best school that suits their children’s needs and talents.”
The state government reports also broke down private school enrollment by county. Wake County led with a substantial number of 22,413 students, followed by Mecklenburg County with 20,965 students. Other counties with notable enrollments include Guilford with 7,156, Cumberland with 5,970, and Forsyth with 5,743.
On the other hand, several counties such as Alleghany, Graham, Perquimans, and Washington reported no students in private schools.
As for homeschooling, some notable counties with the highest number of homeschooled students include Mecklenburg with 7,316, Wake with 9,412, Union with 3,743, Buncombe with 3,031, and Forsyth with 3,428.
In comparison, traditional public schools in North Carolina enroll approximately 1.35 million students, while charter schools have around 146,000 students. Despite the overall state population growth, traditional public school enrollment has slightly decreased since the pandemic. Meanwhile, charter schools, private schools, and homeschooling continue to grow in popularity.
The state’s private school landscape is poised to grow even further in the coming years due to a drastic expansion of the Opportunity Scholarship Program, a voucher that allows families to select a private school education for their children, with each scholarship valued between $3,360 and $7,468 annually.
During the short session, lawmakers considered a budget adjustment that would increase annual funding in the Opportunity Scholarship Grant Fund Reserve to $585 million for the 2025-2026 school year. However, state legislators left Raleigh without reaching an agreement on the spending plan.
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