Public education in North Carolina

in North Carolina

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K-12 education in North Carolina

Education facts

State superintendent: Catherine Truitt

Number of students: 1,518,465

Number of teachers: 98,590

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:15

Number of school districts: 115

Number of schools: 2,557

Graduation rate: 82.5%

Per-pupil spending: $8,390

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: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given are the most recent as of June 2015, with school years noted in the text or footnotes.

The North Carolina public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2013 North Carolina had 1,518,465 students enrolled in a total of 2,557 schools in 244 school districts. There were 98,590 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. There was roughly one administrator for every 283 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average North Carolina spent $8,390 per pupil in 2013, which ranked it 43rd highest in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 82.5 percent in 2013.^[1][2][3]

Common Core[edit]

Common Core, or the Common Core State Standards Initiative, is an American education initiative that outlines quantifiable benchmarks in English and mathematics at each grade level from kindergarten through high school. The North Carolina State Board of Education and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction adopted these standards on June 3, 2010. The standards were fully implemented during the 2012-2013 school year.^[4]

In July of 2014 North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory (R) signed a bill into law that required the state's Common Core curriculum standards be re-written. The bill was passed by the North Carolina State Senate on July 10, 2014, and by the North Carolina House of Representatives on July 16, 2014. Common Core standards were to remain in place until the re-written standards were completed.^[5]

As of July 2015 no revised standards had been published. North Carolina lawmakers, educators and parents have debated exactly how much the Common Core standards need to be revised. Supporters of Common Core believe that only a few changes are needed, while opponents wish to see the standards scrapped completely to make way for different, state-designed standards.^[6]

General information[edit]

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 compared to three neighboring states with respect to the number of students, schools, teachers per pupil and administrators per pupil for the 2012-2013 school year. The chart also displays that information at the national level. Compared to neighboring states, North Carolina had the second lowest spending per pupil, at $8,390.

Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page.

Schools by type[edit]

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School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

See also: Number of schools by school type in the United States

Of the 98,454 schools in the United States, 89,031 were classified as regular schools. After regular schools, magnet schools and charter schools were the most prevalent non-traditional schools in the country, at 6,079 and 5,986, respectively.

The table below breaks down each of the different types of schools in North Carolina and nearby states. Also listed are the numbers of schools in each state that are classified as "Title I" schools. These are public schools that have been specially targeted to correct achievement gaps in public schools.^[7]

In North Carolina, there were 2,444 regular schools as of 2013. Charter schools were the second most prevalent type of school in the state, with 108 schools classified as such.

Demographics[edit]

See also: Demographic information for all students in all 50 states

The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in North Carolina as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2012-2013.^[8]

During the 2012-2013 school year, just over half of all students in K-12 public schools nationwide were white. About a quarter of the students in the country were Hispanic, with black students making up about 16 percent of the student population.

In North Carolina, the majority of students were white. White students totaled 787,559, which was about 51.9 percent of the student population in the state. There were 397,779 black students in the state, amounting to 26.2 percent of the student population.

Enrollments by region type[edit]

See also: Student distribution by region type in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 30 percent of all public school students in the country attended city schools during the 2012-2013 school year. About 40 percent attended suburban schools. Approximately 11.5 percent of all students attended schools in towns, while about 18.7 percent attended rural schools.^[9]

A plurality of students in North Carolina attended rural schools during the 2012-2013 school year. Approximately 51.8 percent of the state's students attended city or suburban schools, compared to the approximately 48.2 percent who attended rural or town schools.

Academic performance[edit]

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[edit]

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.^[10]

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores[edit]

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.^[10][11][12]

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.^[13]

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.

Dropout rate[edit]

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.^[14]

Educational choice options[edit]

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[edit]

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)[edit]

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.^[15]

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.^[16]

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[edit]

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.^[17][18]

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.

Revenue breakdowns[edit]

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.^[18]

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.

Expenditure breakdowns[edit]

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.^[19]

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.

Personnel salaries[edit]

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

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.^[21]

Organizations[edit]

State agencies[edit]

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.^[22]

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.^[23]

The mission statement of the North Carolina State Board of Education reads:^[24]

Unions[edit]

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.^[26]

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:^[27]

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

Taxpayer-funded lobbying[edit]

See also: North Carolina government sector lobbying

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

Transparency[edit]

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.^[28]

Studies and reports[edit]

Quality Counts 2014[edit]

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.^[29]

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

ABCs of School Choice[edit]

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.^[30] The full Friedman Foundation report can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study[edit]

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[edit]

See also: School board elections portal

District types[edit]

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.^[31]

School board composition[edit]

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.^[32]

Term limits[edit]

North Carolina does not impose term limits on school board members.^[32]

Elections[edit]

See also: North Carolina school board elections, 2021

No North Carolina school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2021.

Path to the ballot[edit]

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.^[32][33] To get on the ballot, candidates must file with their local municipal elections office and pay a filing fee.^[34]

Campaign finance[edit]

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.^[35]

Recent legislation[edit]

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[edit]

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 Board of Education, Amendment 1 (1942)
2. North Carolina Board of Education, Amendment 3 (1944)
3. North Carolina Bonds for Higher Education Facilities, Amendment 5 (June 1982)
4. North Carolina Community College Improvement Bonds, Referendum 3 (October 1959)
5. North Carolina Community College Improvement Bonds, Referendum 4 (1961)
6. North Carolina Correctional Schools Improvement Bonds, Referendum 2 (1961)
7. North Carolina Educational Institution Improvement Bonds, Referendum 1 (October 1959)
8. North Carolina Educational Institutions Improvement Bonds, Referendum 3 (1961)
9. North Carolina Grants for Private Education, Special Session Amendment (September 1956)
10. North Carolina Higher Education Aid, Amendment 6 (1970)
11. North Carolina Higher Education Facilities Bonds, Amendment 1 (1986)
12. North Carolina Higher Education Improvement Bonds, Referendum 1 (2000)
13. North Carolina Public School Facilities Bonds, Referendum 1 (1964)
14. North Carolina Public School Maintenance, Amendment 2 (2004)
15. North Carolina Public School Terms, Amendment 10 (1914)
16. North Carolina School Bonds, Referendum 1 (1996)
17. North Carolina School Construction Bonds, Referendum 2 (June 1949)
18. North Carolina School Facilities Bonds, Referendum 1 (1973)
19. North Carolina School Terms, Amendment 2 (1918)

In the news[edit]

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.

See also[edit]

• 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[edit]

• 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[edit]

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