By Ben Rappaport
Nearly 200 students from wealthier families are using taxpayer-funded vouchers to attend private schools this year in Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties, data shows.
The 198 students in the Border Belt region were eligible for vouchers because North Carolina lawmakers last year removed the income limit for Opportunity Scholarships.
Statewide, 34,000 students from families making more than $115,440 a year got vouchers this year because of the change, accounting for 42% of all vouchers awarded, according to the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority.
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Many of the most affluent students who got vouchers live in urban counties like Mecklenburg and Wake. But in the economically distressed Border Belt in southeastern North Carolina, most voucher recipients are from low- and middle-income families, the data shows. In Robeson County, 57% of vouchers this year went to families making less than $57,720, and 30% went to families making less than $115,440. Thirteen percent went to families making more.
More local students overall are using vouchers to attend private schools. This school year, 1,232 students in the four-county region got vouchers, a 47% increase from the previous school year and a 107% increase from the 2022-2023 school year.
Private schools in the Border Belt received $6.9 million from vouchers this school year, more than double what they got the previous school year.
In Bladen County, 215 students received vouchers this school year, more than double the number from the previous year. The increase brought a $714,632 funding increase to private schools in the county.
Scotland County private schools saw the largest funding increase in the region, $1.3 million, with 161 additional students receiving vouchers. Eighty-two percent of the county’s vouchers went to families making less than $115,000 per year.
Students are separated into four tiers based on family income and receive between $3,360 and $7,468 in scholarship money.
Private school vouchers were originally introduced by lawmakers in 2014 to help low- and middle-income families pay for private schools. Republicans touted the move as a way to give poorer families educational choices.
But critics say vouchers take per-pupil taxpayer money away from public schools, which have seen more students leave for private, charter and home schools. Public schools now face federal funding cuts as President Donald Trump works to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
Under the expanded voucher program, any student, including those already enrolled in private schools, can apply for an Opportunity Scholarship. Data from other states shows that students already enrolled in private schools primarily get vouchers after the program is expanded, according to a report from Grand Canyon Institute.
Officials with the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority told lawmakers on March 6 that data isn’t available yet on how many new voucher recipients were already enrolled in private schools.
“There is a strong likelihood that we will see even more families with children already in private schools requesting a school voucher again next year, which means that the tab for taxpayers to cover private school tuition will also increase,” Public Schools First NC said.
A study by the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management found the expanded avoucher program could cost public schools an average of 2% of their funding annually by 2027 if half of the new vouchers go to students currently enrolled in public schools. Across the state, this would mean the loss of 26,500 public school students and more than $203 million.
State lawmakers plan to spend $4.7 billion on vouchers over the next decade. Most vouchers go to students who attend religious schools, which make up the majority of private schools in the state.
Private schools are less diverse
In the Border Belt, private schools are whiter and less racially diverse than public schools, according to data analysis from ProPublica. The analysis includes information for about 13 of at least 19 private schools in the region because the data is sourced from 2021. Of those schools, seven have a student body that is predominantly white.
The same trends exist at private schools across the state. White students account for 45% of public school enrollment and 74% of private school enrollment. Meanwhile, 20% of students in the state’s public schools are Hispanic, but they make up just 7% of private school enrollment.
In Bladen County, 38.3% of public school students are white, while white students make up 83.5% of private school enrollment.
In Robeson County, white students account for 11% of public school enrollment and 59% of private school enrollment. Black students make up 23% of public school enrollment and 2% of private school enrollment.
Antioch Christian School, the largest private school in Robeson County, serves 255 students. The school is 80% more white than public schools in the county.
