
RALEIGH — The 15th annual National School Choice Week is underway, running from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1.
National School Choice Week began in 2012 and annually celebrates various school choice options that are typically outside of the traditional K-12 public school system such as charter schools, private schools, online schools and homeschooling, but it can also include micro schools and public magnet schools.
Per the National School Choice Week website, more than 27,600 events are planned nationwide across 37 states that included 31 school fairs and 11 capitol celebrations.
Governors from 17 states have issued proclamations for National School Choice week: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.
More than 20 different celebrations will take place this week across North Carolina. For a list of events, visit National School Choice Week’s celebrations calendar.
For the 2023-24 school year, there were 881 private schools operating that served approximately 131,230 students in North Carolina. There were 210 public charter schools operating during that same year with enrollment across those schools exceeding 145,000 students. Additionally, 157,642 students were engaged in homeschooling, which has seen a steady increase in North Carolina following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under President Donald Trump’s administration, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) will also be celebrating National School Choice Week. The agency has also set up a dedicated school choice resource page to help families, state education agencies and districts find information and guidance on school choice options.
“The U.S. Department of Education today announced, in line with Trump’s unwavering commitment to expanding school choice and ensuring all American students have access to high-quality education, its recognition and celebration of National School Choice Week,” the USDOE’s press release reads.
The USDOE’s press release highlights the more than 14 million students across the country enrolled in a school choice option as well as noting that “24 states that have expanded educational opportunities in the last three years, ensuring that four in 10 U.S. students now qualify for a school choice program.”
North Carolina is one of the 24 states mentioned that in recent years has expanded its school choice offerings with the 2023 expansion of the Opportunity Scholarships program (OSP) to all families in the state.
The OSP offers grants to families to attend the private school of their choice with awards based on a tiered income scale. Low-income families and returning OSP grant awardees get priority.
Following OSP’s expansion, 77,000 new applicants flooded the system and overran the program’s original funding threshold. When OSP began in 2014, there were 5,558 initial applicants, and four years ago, there were approximately 16,660 new applicants.
The North Carolina General Assembly approved more than $463 million in additional funds to clear an over 54,000-deep waitlist. The additional funding bill was vetoed by former Gov. Roy Cooper but was subsequently overridden by lawmakers.
Additional information on the OSP and other school scholarship opportunities can be accessed on the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority’s website.