A new study by Dr. Terry Stoops, Director of Education Studies at the John Locke Foundation, reveals that despite increased enrollment in non-traditional schools (public charter, home school, and private), the majority of North Carolina students continue to attend traditional public schools. Therefore, he says, parental school choice poses no threat to public education.

Stoops details state-by-state data on the percentage of students attending schools of choice compared to traditional public schools. He notes how those percentages shifted from 2001 to 2010. Stoops also looks at specific enrollment data for private, charter, and home schools nationwide. Within North Carolina, he estimates the market share for schools of choice in each county.

“The popularity of private, charter, and home schools has not produced a significant enrollment shift away from district schools,” he said. “The purpose of school choice is not to ensure that all children attend a private, charter, or home school.  ….[proponents] they envision a system of school choice that ensures that all families have the capacity and means to choose the schools that best meet the needs of their children regardless of provider.”

Read the full study by clicking here. And leave us a comment below with your thoughts.