The Opportunity Scholarship Program was intended to serve low-income families whose needs could not be met in public schools. Recent expansions have completely diverted from that mission and now allow for the wealthiest families in the state to receive taxpayer dollars to subsidize their child’s education, even if that child has never attended a public school. The private schools receiving these public funds do so with no responsibility. There are minimum reporting requirements in place to ensure the quality of education students receive using vouchers; private schools can and often do discriminate based on religion, disability, or sexual orientation; and the vast majority of private schools do not require that teachers be certified.
In September 2024 WRAL conducted a poll concluding that most adults in North Carolina do not support private school voucher expansion. In November 2024 voters in three states (Nebraska, Colorado and Kentucky) rejected private school voucher measures on their ballots. However, despite their unpopularity North Carolina lawmakers continue pushing to expand tax-payer private school vouchers.