North Carolina's traditional public schools lost about 36,000 students in the 2025-26 school year, even as the state pursues a five-year plan to boost enrollment to 89% of school-aged children by 2030.

The enrollment drop, first reported by Carolina Public Press (via WFAE), comes as Union County sits among the 10 counties that account for more than half of all voucher recipients who previously attended public schools, according to a Department of Public Instruction report presented to the State Board of Education.

Union County Public Schools (UCPS) remains the state's top-performing large district. The district posted a 73.8% proficiency rate on End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) exams for the second straight year, compared with the state average of 59.2%, according to UCPS. The district's graduation rate hit 93.4%, the highest among the state's 12 largest districts and well above the statewide 88.8%.

Statewide, enrollment tells a different story. One year into the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's (NCDPI) strategic plan, enrollment has not increased. Raw data shows the percentage of children in public schools is roughly flat over the past two years.

Private school enrollment rose by more than 7,000 students in 2025-26, while charter and regional school enrollment grew by nearly 5,000. Homeschool numbers fell by more than 12,000.

The state legislature expanded the Opportunity Scholarship Program in 2023 by removing the income cap and no longer requiring new recipients to have previously attended public school. Of the program's 106,704 recipients, about 12,252 previously attended public schools, the DPI report found. The cumulative financial impact on public schools totals roughly $35.8 million, according to a DPI presentation to the State Board of Education.

The General Assembly stated its intent to reinvest savings from the voucher program into public schools beginning in 2025-26. No money has moved. Amanda Fratrik, DPI's director of school business services, told the State Board of Education that no funds have been placed in such a reinvestment fund.

Geoff Coltrane, NCDPI's senior director of government affairs and strategy, told Carolina Public Press that funding remains the primary barrier. North Carolina ranks 49th out of 50 states in per-pupil spending, he said.

"We know that the No. 1 factor impacting student learning is our teachers, and so we want the best and the brightest, and the best prepared, the best supported in our classrooms," Coltrane said.

Coltrane said the enrollment decline reflects both the emphasis on school choice and a shrinking student population overall, driven by declining birth rates nationally. NCDPI has launched initiatives in response, including a Find Your Fit program that highlights nontraditional public options like early colleges, magnet schools and charter schools.

Bryce Fiedler, director of the Carolinas Academic Leadership Network, said he is not sure the 89% enrollment target is realistic without drastic improvements in academic quality, public perception and a significant shift in parents choosing to send their children to public school.

Superintendent Andrew Houlihan said in a district statement that UCPS set goals, implemented effective plans and stayed the course. UCPS students took 8,588 Advanced Placement exams in 2025-26, up from 8,083 the prior year, with an 82.9% pass rate. Forty-six of the district's 50 schools met or exceeded growth targets.