Opportunity Scholarship Surpasses 100,000 Recipients

Opportunity Scholarship Surpasses 100,000 Recipients 
103,400 North Carolina students now empowered by parental school choice 

Raleigh, NC – Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina (PEFNC), a non-profit and parental school choice advocacy organization founded in 2005, is celebrating a major milestone: according to the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority data, the Opportunity Scholarship Program has reached 103,400 recipients. This landmark achievement reflects growing demand for parental choice in K-12 education and demonstrates the impact of giving families the power to select the school in which their child learns best. 

The Opportunity Scholarship Program awards scholarships directly to parents, giving families control over their child’s education and reshaping how education is funded in North Carolina: shifting toward funding students, not systems. With more than 103,000 students now participating, North Carolina has climbed to the #3 spot nationwide in the number of students served by a private school voucher or ESA program, trailing only Florida and Ohio. 

A grandmother in Charlotte, affectionally known as Mrs. Bobbie, who is raising her grandchildren with her husband, said, “Raising my two grandchildren is our greatest joy, but it hasn’t always been easy. Despite being smart, I worried they were falling behind and the school that could help them thrive was financially out of reach. Thanks to the Opportunity Scholarship Program, they are now flourishing at Victory Christian Center School. They earn A’s and B’s, have joined clubs and sports, and traveled to Washington, DC for a robotics competition. They are taking college courses and dreaming about their futures. I work in the school lunchroom where I see every single day how this school believes in them. None of this would have been possible without the Opportunity Scholarship, and I’m forever grateful.” 

Mike Long, President of PEFNC: 
“We’re thrilled the Opportunity Scholarship Program has surpassed 100,000 students. Every parent choosing the school where their student learns best is empowered, and every one of these 103,000 students represents a life transformed by the principle that education dollars should follow the child.” 

For additional information contact Mike Long at (919) 971-0112 or [email protected]. 

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Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina (PEFNC) is a statewide non-profit organization that advocates for quality educational options through parental school choice. Our mission is to engage at the grassroots level, educate North Carolinians about the options in our state, and empower families to have a voice in their children’s education. www.pefnc.org