North Carolina ranks last in the United States for public school open enrollment despite majority support in recent polling. This week, several educators and John Locke Foundation staff presented in downtown Raleigh on open enrollment initiatives in the state.
Open enrollment is a school choice policy that allows families to apply for their students to attend other public schools outside the one assigned, tuition free. Open enrollment can be broken into two categories — intra-district and inter-district. Currently, North Carolina does not have any state-wide policy supporting either, remaining part of a handful of states that does not have an open enrollment law.
A January 2026 Carolina Journal poll found that 79% of respondents support open enrollment, a 7% increase from a 2025 poll…