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The North Carolina Senate has approved legislation to set aside roughly $500 million more for now for programs that provide taxpayer money to help K-12 students attend private schools.

About 2,300 more North Carolina families were just notified their kids will get private-school vouchers for 2024. But about 56,000 could be denied Opportunity Scholarships unless the General Assembly approves more money.

North Carolina's voucher expansion makes all private school students eligible for public money to help pay tuition, starting in August. But about one-third of private schools don't take Opportunity Scholarships.

About 72,000 students applied for North Carolina private school vouchers for 2024-25. That means about 40,000 higher-income families may be turned down.

A decade ago, about 85%of North Carolina students attended their local school district. Last school year, that percentage fell to fewer than 77 percent as more students move to charter schools, private schools and home schools.

Public money for private school tuition would be available to all of North Carolina's K-12 students regardless of income under Republican-backed legislation that began advancing in the General Assembly on Wednesday.

One of the Republican priorities this session is school choice, including private school vouchers. ¼ª²ÊÍøÍøվ’s Will Michaels and education reporter Liz Schlemmer discuss the state's main voucher program and where it's headed.

More than half of the state budget is spent on public education.In the latest budget adjustments, state lawmakers approved an average 4.7 percent raise…

More than half of the state budget is spent on public education.In the latest budget adjustments, state lawmakers approved an average 4.7 percent raise…

In their version of the budget, Senate Republicans have a plan to grow a large reserve fund for the Opportunity Scholarship Program. The scholarships, or…