(The Center Square) – Universal school choice and clearance of 55,000 on a waiting list helped lift North Carolina 23 spots to 12th nationally in the 2025 Education Freedom Report from the American Legislative Exchange Council.
The jump was the largest of any, ALEC’s Lars Dalseide told The Center Square in an email. Florida retained the No. 1 spot and was the only state getting an “A+” while Ohio was another big gainer, moving 13 spots to 10th.
The Tarheel State, with about 1.5 million schoolchildren in its 11 million population, picked up an “F” for open enrollment, but otherwise was strong – an “A” for education freedom programs, “B” for charter schools, and “C” for each of homeschooling and virtual schooling.
A note at the beginning of the report says all programs and policies are as of June 1 last year. The appropriation of $463 million to the Opportunity Scholarship program became law Nov. 20 when the General Assembly rejected a gubernatorial veto, though Dalseide noted it in the state’s rise in the rankings.
Universal school choice – North Carolina became the 10th state to implement, and first without a state government Republican trifecta – was enacted Oct. 3, 2023, as part of the 2023 Appropriations Act. Also known as the state budget, it became law after a 10-day period without then-Gov. Roy Cooper signing it. The biennial spending plan was also tied to expansion of Medicaid.
Spending on education was the largest share of the last state budget at $17.9 billion for 2024-25, and $17.3 for 2023-24 of the $60.7 billion two-year plan.
In scoring categories, North Carolina got 36.5 points (fifth nationally, an “A”) in education freedom programs; 9.29 points (tie 10th, “B”) in charter schools; 7.5 points (tie 13th, “C”) in virtual schooling; five points (tie 35th, “C”) in homeschooling; and no points (tie 32nd, “F”) in open enrollment.
North Carolina was 35th last year.
Education freedom programs could generate up to 40 points for each state; charter schools 15 points based on authorizers, growth, operations and equity; homeschooling 15 points graded on the regulatory environment; virtual schooling 15 points based on state or district availability and approval process; and open enrollment 15 points tied to allowing interdistrict and intradistrict, transparency in transfers and a prohibition on charging tuition to transferring students.
ALEC bills itself as “America’s largest nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism. Comprised of nearly one-quarter of the country’s state legislators and stakeholders from across the policy spectrum, ALEC members represent more than 60 million Americans and provide jobs to more than 30 million people in the United States.
