North Carolina SB 389: Add Home Schools to Opportunity Scholarships.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 389

Short Title: Add Home Schools to Opportunity Scholarships. (Public)
Sponsors: Senator Burgin (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 25, 2025
*S389-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO PERMIT OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIPS TO BE AWARDED TO 2
STUDENTS IN HOME SCHOOLS AND TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR THAT 3
PURPOSE. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 115C-562.1 reads as rewritten: 6
"§ 115C-562.1. Definitions. 7
The following definitions apply in this Part: 8
(1) Authority. – The State Education Assistance Authority. 9
(2) Division. – The Division of Nonpublic Education, Department of 10
Administration. 11
(3) Repealed by Session Laws 2023-134, s. 8A.6(a), effective July 1, 2023. 12
(3a) Eligible student. – A student residing in North Carolina who has not yet 13
received a high school diploma and who meets all of the following 14
requirements: 15
a. Is eligible to attend a North Carolina public school pursuant to Article 16
25 of this Chapter. A child who is the age of 4 on or before April 16 is 17
eligible to attend the following school year if the principal, or 18
equivalent, of the school in which the child seeks to enroll finds that 19
the student meets the requirements established by the Authority 20
pursuant to G.S. 115C-562.2(d) and those findings are submitted to the 21
Authority. 22
b. Has not been enrolled in a postsecondary institution as a full-time 23
student taking at least 12 hours of academic credit. 24
c. Has not been placed in a nonpublic school or facility by a public 25
agency at public expense. 26
(3c) Repealed by Session Laws 2023-134, s. 8A.6(a), effective July 1, 2023. 27
(3d) Home school. – A nonpublic school that meets the requirements of Part 3 of 28
Article 39 of this Chapter, as identified by the Division. 29
(4) Local school administrative unit. – A local school administrative unit, charter 30
school, or regional school. 31
(5) Nonpublic school. – A school that meets the requirements of Part 1 or Part 2 32
Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3 of this Article as identified by the Division. 33
(5c) Repealed by Session Laws 2023-134, s. 8A.6(a), effective July 1, 2023. 34
(5d) Private school. – A school that meets the requirements of Part 1 or Part 2 of 35
this Article as identified by the Division. 36

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 389-First Edition
(5e) Reserve. – The Opportunity Scholarship Grant Fund Reserve established 1
under G.S. 115C-562.8. 2
(6) Scholarship grants. – Grants awarded annually by the Authority to eligible 3
students." 4
SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 115C-562.2 reads as rewritten: 5
"§ 115C-562.2. Scholarship grants. 6
(a) The Authority shall make available no later than February 1 annually applications to 7
eligible students for the award of scholarship grants to attend any nonpublic school on a full- or 8
part-time basis. Information about scholarship grants and the application process shall be made 9
available on the Authority's Web site. Beginning March 15, the Authority shall begin awarding 10
scholarship grants to students who have applied by March 1 in the following order: 11
(1) Eligible students who received a scholarship grant for the school year prior to 12
the school year for which the students are applying. 13
(2) Eligible students qualifying for a scholarship grant in the amount provided 14
under subdivision (1) of subsection (b2) of this section.residing in households 15
with an income level not in excess of the amount required for the student to 16
qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program. 17
(3) Eligible students qualifying for a scholarship grant in the amount provided 18
under subdivision (2) of subsection (b2) of this section.residing in households 19
with an income level between the amount required for the student to qualify 20
for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program and not in excess of two 21
hundred percent (200%) of that amount. 22
(4) Eligible students qualifying for a scholarship grant in the amount provided 23
under subdivision (3) of subsection (b2) of this section.residing in households 24
with an income level of between two hundred percent (200%) of the amount 25
required for the student to qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch 26
program and not in excess of four hundred fifty percent (450%) of that 27
amount. 28
(5) All other students. 29
... 30
(b2) Scholarship grants shall be awarded to eligible students as follows: 31
(1) For students enrolled in private schools: 32
(1)a. For students residing in households with an income level not in excess 33
of the amount required for the student to qualify for the federal free or 34
reduced-price lunch program, per year per eligible student, an amount 35
of up to one hundred percent (100%) of the average State per pupil 36
allocation for average daily membership in the prior fiscal year. 37
(2)b. For st