Parents want more educational options.
While school choice has grown in recent years, seventy-five percent of all K-12 students still attend public schools In North Carolina. School choice has come slowly to public schools. North Carolina has over 200 charter schools and many magnet schools but access to those choices is largely controlled by others.
How can public schools expand school and provide students with access to better educational opportunities?
Open enrollment can provide real choice to families and students. Open enrollment comes in two forms. Within-district open enrollment allows students to attend any school within the district in which the student resides, assuming capacity is available. Cross-district open enrollment allows students to attend any school in any school district. Again, assuming capacity is available.
According to the Reason Foundation, seventeen states have within-district open enrollment programs. Sixteen states have cross-district open enrollment programs.
A January 2026 Carolina Journal Poll of likely voters in North Carolina found that 79 percent of respondents in North Carolina either strongly favor or somewhat favor intra-district open enrollment. Only 13 percent strongly or somewhat opposed open enrollment. Nine percent of respondents were unsure. Interestingly, support for open enrollment is up about eight percentage points in the last year.
Open enrollment is not a new or untried idea. Minnesota has had open enrollment for almost four decades and Arizona for over three. Indeed, nine states have more than 10 percent of their student population enrolled in open enrollment programs. Municipalities like Denver and Washington DC have 36 and 42 percent of the K-12 student populations enrolled in open enrollment programs. These facts demonstrate that open enrollment can work for students and school districts.
For a more detailed reading of open enrollment programs see: Understanding Open Enrollment.
Four bills have been introduced in recent years to bring open enrollment to North Carolina.
The 2026-27 North Carolins state budget, recently approved by the House and the Senate includes a provision that the North Carolina Collaboratory “shall study how local school administrative units can allow students to attend any school with the local school administrative unit in which the student is domiciled, other than the assigned base school.” The final report and recommended legislation must be received no later than April 15, 2027.
To contribute to this discussion, the John Locke Foundation has developed model legislation for states and school districts wanting to create their own open enrollment programs.
Open enrollment can not only expand education options for students who need them most, but also help schools retain and attract new students and help reverse declining enrollment. The model legislation provides specific ways for school districts and states to begin this process.
Let the discussion begin.
