Poll: NC voter support for school choice remains strong

Nearly two-thirds of North Carolina voters support taxpayer-funded school choice scholarships through the Opportunity Scholarship Program, according to a poll of likely voters released Jan. 29.

Dropping during National School Choice Week, the new Carolina Journal Poll found broad support for other key planks of the school-choice movement. That includes 57% support for public charter schools and 79% support for policies that allow students to change public schools within the same district if the new school is a better fit — known as open enrollment.

“Voters continue to strongly support school choice in North Carolina,” said Carolina Journal publisher and John Locke Foundation CEO Donald Bryson. “While charter support has leveled off from recent highs, backing for private school options is growing again, showing parents remain committed to choice and focused on what works best for their children.” 

“North Carolina ranks dead last on open enrollment laws, even as voter support continues to rise. That gap between what North Carolinians want and our state’s education policy should be a wake-up call for lawmakers,” Bryson added.

A plurality of voters, at 41%, oppose Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of a bill that would opt North Carolina into a federal tax credit scholarship program. The program would allow individuals to get a federal tax credit of $1,700 for donating to approved Scholarship Granting Organizations, which in turn issue stipends to students for private school expenses, including tuition and other allowable costs. A veto override vote is still pending even as numerous other states are opting into the program.

Meanwhile, voters expressed concern with the direction of public education in the state. Fifty-three percent of likely voters are dissatisfied with the quality of education in public schools across the state, compared to 29% who are satisfied. There was also an intensity gap on the question — 21% were “completely dissatisfied” while only 6% were “completely satisfied.”

Asked where they would send their child if money was no object, 46% chose a private school, 30% a traditional public school, 11% a homeschool, 8% a public charter school, and less than 1% a virtual school. For those who choose a non-public school option for their child, the most popular reason why was due to concerns over academic quality, curriculum or education values, and school safety or bullying. 

Just one-in-five likely voters could name the correct dollar range for the average per pupil spending on K-12 public schools, which is now over $13,000, according to NC Department of Public Instruction data for the 2024-2025 school year. But when given the correct amount, 43% said the figure was “too little” spent on public education, compared to 16% who said it was “too much” and 15% who said it was “the appropriate amount.”

Likely voters were evenly divided on the question of whether the state should allocate facilities funding for public charter schools.

Asked to name the most pressing issues facing public education today, 20% said a “shortage of high-quality teaches,” 15% pointed to “adequate finances,” and 14% said “academic standards.” Lower down on the priority list were “preparing students for the workforce” at 12%, “curriculum concerns” at 10%, and “lack of parental involvement” at 10%. Half of voters, at 51%, believe that higher teacher pay is essential regardless of measured student outcomes.

An overwhelming 83% of likely voters say that COVID-19 pandemic school closures negatively impacted students, with just 5% saying the impacts were minimal or that there was no impact and 2% saying the impact was positive for some students. Respondents also took a dim view on how school districts spent pandemic-recovery funding for public schools — 45% said those funds were spent poorly and 20% said they were spent well.

Asked to rank the performance of their local school board with a letter grade, the most popular choice was a “C” at 32%, followed by a “B” at 17%, a “D” also at 17%, and an “F” at 11%. Less than 4% gave their local board an “A.”

The CJ poll surveyed 700 likely voters and was conducted Jan. 22-25 by Harper Polling.

“Poll: NC voter support for school choice remains strong” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.