Alamance County Private Schools Receive More Than $14 Million in State Scholarships

More than $14 million in state taxpayer funding has been directed to private schools serving families in Alamance County through North Carolina's expanded Opportunity Scholarship program, according to a county-level analysis published March 16, 2026.

The Opportunity Scholarship program, which provides state-funded vouchers allowing families to pay private school tuition, has grown significantly in recent years as North Carolina lawmakers broadened eligibility requirements. The latest figures show Alamance County families are drawing on that funding at a scale that places the county among those with substantial private school scholarship activity statewide.

The $14 million figure represents taxpayer dollars leaving the public school funding ecosystem and flowing to private institutions serving county residents. The expansion of the program has intensified debate across North Carolina over whether voucher-style scholarships strengthen educational choice or divert resources from the public schools that serve the majority of students.

For Alamance County, which includes Burlington City Schools and Alamance-Burlington School System among its public institutions, the scholarship totals raise questions about the long-term fiscal relationship between state education funding and the growing private school sector. The county's private schools, which range from faith-based institutions to independent academies, have become increasingly significant recipients of state education dollars as the Opportunity Scholarship program has scaled up.

North Carolina's legislature made the scholarships available to families at all income levels in recent budget cycles, removing means-testing requirements that previously limited participation. That change drove a sharp increase in applications and award totals statewide, with Alamance County's $14 million share reflecting both local demand and the program's broader expansion.