Public education in North Carolina

K-12 education in North Carolina

Education facts

State superintendent: Mo Green

Number of students: 1,442,736

Number of teachers: 93,665

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:15.4

Number of school districts: 120

Number of schools: 2,475

Graduation rate: 87%

Per-pupil spending: $9,958

See also

North Carolina Department of Education • List of school districts in North Carolina • North Carolina • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in North Carolina Glossary of education terms

Note: These statistics are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of October 2022.

The North Carolina public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, North Carolina had 1,442,736 students enrolled in a total of 2,475 schools in 120 school districts. There were 93,665 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, North Carolina spent on average $9,958 per pupil. The state's graduation rate was 87 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how North Carolina compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Public education in North Carolina
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher to pupil ratio	Per pupil spending*
North Carolina	2,475	120	1,442,736	93,665	1:15.4	$9,958
United States	90,323	13,194	47,755,383	2,783,705	1:16	$13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020. Sources: Education statistics in the United States U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020" National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates"

Academic performance

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Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Students in North Carolina generally scored higher than those in South Carolina and Tennessee, but lower than those in Virginia. The best scores in the state were earned by fourth graders in math, with 45 percent scoring at or above proficient.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
North Carolina	45%	36%	35%	33%
South Carolina	35%	31%	28%	29%
Tennessee	40%	28%	34%	33%
Virginia	47%	38%	43%	36%
United States	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for North Carolina and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.

North Carolina schools reported a graduation rate of 82.5 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, second lowest among its neighboring states.

In North Carolina, more students took the ACT than the SAT in 2013, earning an average ACT score of 18.7.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State	Graduation rate, 2013		Average ACT composite, 2013		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
North Carolina	82.5%	Third	18.7	100%	1479	62%
South Carolina	77.6%	Fourth	20.4	51%	1436	64%
Tennessee	86.3%	Second	19.5	100%	1709	8%
Virginia	84.5%	Third	22.6	26%	1528	71%
United States	81.4%		20.9	54%	1498	50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for North Carolina was higher than the national average at 3.9 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and lower than the national average at 3.1 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in North Carolina

North Carolina has the second largest state virtual school in the United States. Other school choice options in the state included charter schools, special education scholarship grants, opportunity scholarships, homeschooling and private schools as of June 2015.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

North Carolina is not one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: North Carolina state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the state's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.

North Carolina spent approximately 24.8 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. School system revenue came primarily from state funds. North Carolina spent a greater percentage of its total budget on public education than any of its neighboring states.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State	Percentage of budget	Per pupil spending	Revenue sources
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
North Carolina	24.8%	$8,390	12.4%	62%	25.6%
South Carolina	17.6%	$9,514	9.9%	46.3%	43.8%
Tennessee	17.8%	$8,208	13.1%	46.1%	40.8%
Virginia	15.1%	$10,960	7.4%	39.2%	53.4%
United States	19.8%	$10,700	9.1%	45.6%	45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.

In North Carolina, the primary source of school system revenue was state funding during fiscal year 2013, at $7.9 billion. North Carolina reported the second highest total public education revenue when compared to its neighboring states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
North Carolina	$1,579,889	$7,891,977	$3,257,536	$12,729,402
South Carolina	$814,137	$3,819,285	$3,608,526	$8,241,948
Tennessee	$1,165,801	$4,097,627	$3,622,027	$8,885,455
Virginia	$1,108,879	$5,874,323	$8,000,628	$14,983,830
United States	$54,367,305	$272,916,892	$270,645,402	$597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Public education expenditures in North Carolina totaled approximately $13 billion in fiscal year 2012. North Carolina reported the second highest total public education expenditures when compared to its neighboring states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State	General expenditures	Capital outlay	Other	Total expenditures
North Carolina	$12,303,426	$683,545	$73,186	$13,060,157
South Carolina	$6,600,733	$889,985	$465,351	$7,956,070
Tennessee	$8,351,056	$664,129	$280,056	$9,295,241
Virginia	$13,403,576	$1,078,786	$248,334	$14,730,695
United States	$527,096,473	$48,773,386	$25,897,123	$601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in North Carolina, the average salary decreased by 14.7 percent.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
North Carolina	$53,849	$50,010	$46,712	$45,947	-14.7%
South Carolina	$49,308	$50,712	$48,217	$47,924	-2.8%
Tennessee	$49,645	$49,412	$47,866	$48,289	-2.7%
Virginia	$52,947	$53,388	$49,514	$49,869	-5.8%
United States	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

State agencies

See also: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction is in charge of carrying out the state's preschool through 12th grade public school laws as well as the policies set by the State Board of Education. The Department of Public Instruction is led by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. June Atkinson was first elected to the post in 2008.

The North Carolina State Board of Education has 13 members, including the lieutenant governor and the state treasurer. The other 11 members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the North Carolina State Legislature. Eight represent each of the eight education districts, and three represent the state at-large.

The mission statement of the North Carolina State Board of Education reads:

“

The guiding mission of the North Carolina State Board of Education is that every public school student will graduate from high school, globally competitive for work and postsecondary education and prepared for life in the 21st Century.

”

Unions

In 2012, the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. North Carolina ranked 24th overall for union power and influence, or "average," which was in the middle tier of five.

The main unions related to the North Carolina school system are the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), and AFT North Carolina, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. NCAE is the largest education association in the state.

List of local North Carolina school unions:

• North Carolina Association of Educators
• AFT North Carolina
• AFT Pittsboro
• AFT Kure Beach

Government sector lobbying

See also: North Carolina government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the North Carolina School Boards Association.

Transparency

On January 12, 2009 Governor Beverly Perdue signed North Carolina Executive Order No. 4 (2009) (dead link), which mandated the creation of NC Openbook, a website where information about state grants and contracts would be made available to the public. The site is managed by the Office of State Budget and Management and the Office of Information Technology Services.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

North Carolina received a score of 75.7, or a C average in the "chance for success" category. This was below the national average. The state's highest score was in "standards, assessments and accountability" at 92.8, or an A average. The lowest score was in "school finance" at 67.0, or a D+ average. North Carolina tied for the 10th highest score in the country in the "standards, assessments and accountability" category. The chart below displays the scores of North Carolina and its surrounding states.

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State	Chance for success	K-12 achievement	Standards, assessments and accountability	The teaching profession	School finance	Transitions and alignment
North Carolina	75.7 (C)	69.8 (C-)	92.8 (A)	77.8 (C+)	67.0 (D+)	85.7 (B)
South Carolina	72.6 (C)	62.6 (D)	94.4 (A)	89.0 (B+)	68.7 (D+)	71.4 (C-)
Tennessee	73.9 (C)	68.8 (D+)	90.0 (A-)	80.3 (B-)	64.5 (D)	92.9 (A)
Virginia	84.8 (B)	74.2 (C)	93.3 (A)	81.9 (B-)	76.1 (C)	85.7 (B)
United States average	77.3 (C+)	70.2 (C-)	85.3 (B)	72.5 (C)	75.5 (C)	81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014" A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

ABCs of School Choice

The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice publishes a comprehensive guide to private school choice programs across the U.S. In its 2014 edition, the Foundation reviewed North Carolina's special education scholarship grants for children with disabilities and the state's opportunity scholarship program. The special education scholarship grants program was launched in 2014 to give vouchers to students with disabilities to attend private school. The Foundation found that though the program was "somewhat strong" on eligibility, funding for the program was "relatively weak," as each student could receive only $6,000 in funding, which was lower than the average per-pupil spending statewide. The state's opportunity scholarship program was also launched in 2014, in order to give private school vouchers to students whose household qualified for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program. The Foundation found that the program could be improved in both student eligibility and funding, but the Foundation said that as the program grows, both of those had the potential to grow. The full Friedman Foundation report can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

North Carolina has three types of school districts: county school districts, county school administrative units and city school administrative units. County school districts have elected school boards, and most county and city school administrative units have elected school boards as well. Some city administrative units, however, have school boards that are appointed by the city council.

School board composition

School board members in North Carolina are generally elected by residents of the school district, although in certain cases school board members may be appointed. School board elections are both nonpartisan and partisan, depending on the county in which they are located. School boards must consist of five members serving four-year terms.

Term limits

North Carolina does not impose term limits on school board members.

Elections

See also: North Carolina school board elections, 2025

The table below contains links to all school board elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2025 in this state. This list may not include all school districts with elections in 2025. Ballotpedia's coverage includes all school districts in the 100 largest cities by population and the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment.

Editor's note: Some school districts choose to cancel the primary election, or both the primary and general election, if the number of candidates who filed does not meet a certain threshold. The table below does not reflect which primary or general elections were canceled. Please click through to each school district's page for more information.

2025 North Carolina School Board Elections
District	Primary	General Election	General Runoff Election	Regular term length	Seats up for election	Total board seats	2022-2023 enrollment
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	N/A	11/4/2025	N/A	4	6	9	144,197

Path to the ballot

In order to be run for election to a school board in North Carolina, a candidate must by at least 21 years old. If the candidate is employed by the school district that he or she seeks to represent, the candidate must resign from that employment before taking office. To get on the ballot, candidates must file with their local municipal elections office and pay a filing fee.

Campaign finance

Candidates must file a Statement of Organization, a Certification of Treasurer, a Certification of Financial Account Information and periodic financial disclosure reports with their local municipal elections office. Candidates who do not intend on receiving or spending more than $1,000 on their campaigns can file a Certification of Threshold instead of the disclosure reports.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the North Carolina state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of North Carolina ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. North Carolina Use of Civil Penalties, Forfeitures, and Fines for Public School Maintenance Funding Amendment (2004)
2. North Carolina State Constitution Revisions Amendment (1876)
3. North Carolina Amendment 2, Six-Month School Terms Amendment (1918)
4. North Carolina Escheats Fund for Public College Student Aid Amendment (1970)
5. North Carolina Board of Education Membership Amendment (1944)
6. North Carolina Education Expense Grants and Local School Suspension Votes Amendment (September 1956)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms North Carolina education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in North Carolina - Google News

See also

• Historical public education information in North Carolina
• North Carolina state budget and finances
• North Carolina Department of Education
• List of school districts in North Carolina
• School choice in North Carolina
• Charter schools in North Carolina
• North Carolina
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links

• North Carolina Public Schools
• North Carolina State Board of Education
• North Carolina School Report Cards
• North Carolina Reports and Statistics
• North Carolina State School Ratings by PSK12
• North Carolina School Ratings by Great Schools

Footnotes

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