North Carolina

NCAI Region: Southeast

Total Population: 9,535,483

Native American Population: 184,082

Percentage of population: 1.9%

Number of Tribes: 1

Number of Native American Charter Schools: 1

Number of Native American Charter Students: 187

Number of BIE Tribally Controlled Schools: 3

Total Number of Native American Schools: 4

State Public Education Department: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

State Average Per Pupil Funding: $9,217

Charter Support Organizations: North Carolina Associationfor Public Charter Schools

Year Charter Law Enacted: 1996

2020 Model Law Ranking: 14

Estimated Number of Charter Schools: 188

Estimated Number of Charter Students: 110,605

North Carolina law provides that at the request of a charter school, a local board of education of the local school administrative unit in which the charter school will be located shall lease any available building or land to the charter school unless the board demonstrates that the lease is not economically or practically feasible or that the local board does not have adequate classroom space to meet its enrollment needs.
The law also allows a local board of education to provide a school facility to a charter school free of charge; however, the charter school is responsible for the maintenance of and insurance for the school facility. The law also states that if a charter school has requested to lease available buildings or land and is unable to reach an agreement with the local board of education, the charter school shall have the right to appeal to the board of county commissioners in which the building or land is located. The board of county commissioners shall have the final decision-making authority on the leasing of the available building or land.
North Carolina law provides that charter schools are eligible for tax-exempt bond financing through the North Carolina Capital Facilities Finance Authority.
Legislation enacted in 2020 now allows the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to approve the issuance of one or more private activity bonds to finance or refinance a charter school facility.