In North Carolina, as in every other state that offers vouchers, the overwhelming majority of students who claim them were already enrolled in private schools. Before they are enacted, there are lots of claims about helping poor kids “escape failing public schools,” helping kids with disabilities, offering opportunity to go to a better school.

It’s all malarkey.

About 1,125,000 children attend school in Tennessee. About 12.7% of students are enrolled in private schools. Unconstrained by federal law, private schools do not have to accept students with disabilities or others they don’t want. They do not have to administer the same state tests as public tests

The real effect of vouchers–and perhaps its intent–is to subsidize the tuition of kids in private schools, even when the families are rich.

T. Keung Hui of the News & Observer in North Carolina reported:

Nearly three-quarters of North Carolina’s private school students are now getting a taxpayer-funded voucher to help pay for their tuition costs, according to an analysis of state data.

The data indicates that 74.2% of North Carolina’s 143,998 private school students received an Opportunity Scholarship during the 2025-26 school year. Only a quarter of the state’s private school students were receiving a voucher two years ago, before the program was sharply expanded by state lawmakers.

“It is discouraging to see the continued growth in the unaccountable private school sector, where tax dollars fund schools that discriminate, lack transparency, are not required to publicly reveal student achievement data, and in some cases, limit admission to church members,” Heather Koons, director of research and communications for Public Schools First NC, said in an interview Wednesday…

The state has been giving Opportunity Scholarships to help families cover private school costs since 2014. The program was initially promoted by Republican lawmakers as a way to help low-income families pay for private schools to escape low-performing public schools.

But starting in the 2024-25 school year, lawmakers significantly expanded the Opportunity Scholarship program by increasing funding and opening eligibility to all families. The voucher program has tripled in size from 32,549 students in the 2023-24 school year to 106,863 students as of June 2026.

Most of the expansion has come from existing private school families applying for a voucher for the first time. Many private schools encouraged or in some cases required families to apply for an Opportunity Scholarship.

The voucher expansion has allowed some private schools to raise tuition, reduce the amount they spend on financial assistance and embark on expansion programs.

In 2023-24, the cost of vouchers was $185.6 million. In 2025-26, the cost of vouchers will be $589 million. By 2032, the legislators have pledged to spend $825 million. This is money that will diverted away from the state’s public schools, which accept everyone, and enroll the vast majority of the state’s students.

Why not put that public money into public schools, which enroll nearly 90% of the state’s students? Reduce class sizes, pay teachers more, make sure every school has a full curriculum.

Read more at: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article316313217.html#storylink=cpy