A majority of North Carolinians are dissatisfied with their local schools, according to the latest Carolina Journal Poll. This survey of 606 likely North Carolina voters asked participants how satisfied they are with the quality of K-12 education students receive in their local schools. Only 33.3% said they were satisfied, while 55.2% said they were dissatisfied. This is an increase of 7.2 points from last January. This year, of those who said they were satisfied, only 7.5% said they were completely satisfied compared to 27.1% who said they were completely dissatisfied.
When asked further about their local public school, 56.8% said they would be comfortable sending their child to their local school, while 36.9% said they were not. Voters in Central North Carolina and around the Triad were the most likely to say they were uncomfortable (46%), while voters in the Asheville area were the least likely to say they were uncomfortable (20%). Of those who said they were uncomfortable with their local public school, 29.3% cited the main reason as the curriculum or educational values, 25.2% said academic quality, 17.2% said school safety, 13.1% said they preferred alternatives, 8.9% said teacher quality, and 2.5% said lack of extracurricular activities.
“North Carolinians’ dissatisfaction with their local public schools is likely the leading cause of the decline in public school enrollments,” said Carolina Journal publisher and John Locke Foundation CEO Donald Bryson. “COVID was a major marking point in the public education debate, and if public school administrators would like to see a reverse in this trend, they should refocus their efforts on core academics and pivot away from political and controversial topics and materials.”
An overwhelming majority of voters believe that they should be able to choose their public school. When asked if they would support allowing students to transfer from their local public school to another public school of their choice, 71.5% of North Carolinians said they would support this form of open enrollment, while 21.1% said they would oppose it.
A plurality of voters said that, if money were not a factor, they would prefer to send their child to a private school (41.7%), whereas 30.1% said they prefer a local public school, 11.3% prefer a charter school, 10.7% prefer a homeschool, and 0.4% prefer a virtual school. Most voters (60.8%) said they support the state’s Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP), which provides state funds for children to attend private school. Just 27.2% said they oppose the program. Support for OSP is strongest among those earning less than $40,000 a year (68%), and goes down as income increases, with those earning $100,000 or more being the most likely to oppose the program (31%). Most voters (61.5%) would support allowing businesses and county governments to donate or appropriate funds to OSP with 22.4% opposing.
A majority of voters also support charter schools (59.9%), with 30.4% opposing. However, voters are split on capital funding for charters. A slim plurality (42%) opposes providing government funding for charter school buildings, while 40.8% support providing this funding — well within the poll’s 3.97-point margin of error.
When asked how much North Carolina public schools should spend per pupil, many voters were unsure (37.1%). Of those who shared an opinion, 24% said per-pupil spending should be $20,000 or more, 8.1% said $15,000–$20,000, 13.2% said $10,000–$15,000, 12% said $5,000–10,000, and 5.6% said $0–$5,000. North Carolina’s current per-pupil spending is $13,222. As for how school funding should be allocated, 60.8% of North Carolinians support tying funds to the needs of students, rather than the state’s current system, which relies on as many as 50 different allotments. Only 15.7% of voters are in favor of the current system.
“North Carolinians clearly support a system that prioritizes students over school systems,” Bryson continued. “Our current funding allocation system is opaque and confusing — even for administrators. It’s time we overhaul our funding formula to put the needs of students first.”
When asked which problems were the most challenging facing K-12, 19.9% of North Carolinians said teacher shortages, 14.6% said curriculum concerns, 13.1% said adequate finances, 12.4% said lack of parental involvement, 11.1% said school safety, 6.9% said overcrowded classrooms, and 2.8% said workforce preparation.
North Carolinians are overwhelmingly supporters of parental choice, with 71.8% believing a child’s parent or guardian is the best suited to determine where their child should attend school. By comparison, 13.6% believe the local school board is the best determiner, 4% say the state department of education, and 3.5% say the US Department of Education. While few believe the Department of Education is the best suited to determine where children should attend school, a majority of North Carolinians do support its existence (50.8%). Slightly over a third (34.7%) of voters say they would support abolishing the Department of Education, while 14.5% remain unsure.
As for the North Carolina Board of Education, 62.9% of voters support electing all members of the board. Currently, eleven of the thirteen seats on the board are appointed by the governor. About a quarter (23.4%) of voters oppose electing the board members.
When asked about the main purpose of education, 34.7% of voters said education’s purpose is to master core academic subjects, 22.3% said develop skills for future employment, 22% said develop independent thinkers, 7.9% said instill moral character and values, 6% said develop good citizens, 1.5% said socialization, and 1.2% said to learn to fix social problems.
