North Carolina ranks last among the 50 states in public school open enrollment policies, according to a Reason Foundation analysis, even while new research shows that these programs are reshaping the educational choice landscape in other states.
Open enrollment policies are programs that allow students to attend public schools outside their residentially assigned zones. Although local school districts are free to implement the policies in the Tar Heel State, there is no statewide policy, and only a handful of districts — including Union County Public Schools and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools — offer a more comprehensive option.
But a recent analysis by Jude Schwalbach, a senior policy analyst at Reason Foundation, highlights that open enrollment is becoming one of the most common forms of school choice, which is often overshadowed by charter schools and private school scholarships. The study, which includes data from 27 states and Washington, DC, found that approximately one-in-14 public school students used open enrollment to attend a public school other than their assigned one.
“As 2026 begins, it’s clear that while private-school choice policies are reaching more families than ever, choice among traditional public schools, where 83% of the nation’s students are enrolled, is also becoming more flexible,” Schwalbach noted.
Much of the growth in open enrollment has come after the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2021, 17 states have strengthened their open enrollment statutes. Most recently, Arkansas, Nevada, and New Hampshire enacted new laws in 2025.
Across the states included in the study, nearly 1.8 million students transferred to public schools outside their assigned zones. Approximately 1.3 million of these were cross-district transfers, while over 508,000 were within-district.
The research also found that open enrollment programs tend to scale up gradually over time. Data from 10 out of 14 states with five or more years of data showed incremental increases in participation, allowing school districts time to adapt to these market forces. Wisconsin’s program, for example, grew from 2,500 to nearly 62,000 participants since its 1998 launch, an annual increase of about 13%.
States like Colorado, Delaware, and Arizona lead the nation with the highest transfer rates, accounting for 29%, 22%, and 14% of their respective students. Washington, DC, saw an even higher rate, with 42% of its public school students participating in open enrollment.
The findings come at a critical time for public education. “The overall loss of enrollment in district schools coupled with the increase in participation in open enrollment indicates that families are growing more dissatisfied with their local public schools,” Schwalbach writes.
Public school enrollments generally declined in most of the states studied between 2019 and 2023, while open enrollment participation rose. For instance, Michigan’s public schools lost over 69,000 students, yet its open enrollment participation increased by 4%.
Even though North Carolina has no official policy on open enrollment, likely voters very much favor the policy, with a recent Carolina Journal poll placing support at 79%.
“For many parents, access to open enrollment could mean the difference between staying in their district and leaving public schools altogether. North Carolina and its school districts can’t afford to forgo that opportunity, especially with ongoing enrollment declines,” said Bryce Fiedler, director of the Carolinas Academic Leadership Network.
Last year, state House lawmakers passed a bill to study the feasibility of open enrollment policies, but the measure never came up for a vote in the Senate.