When it comes to funding public education, North Carolina is failing. The Education Law Center’s (ELC) latest report gives North Carolina an “F” for funding level and effort. The best the state can muster is a C grade for the distribution of funds between low poverty and high poverty school districts.

Even that C grade is in question, as the gap between North Carolina’s richest and poorest communities continues to widen, despite heavier taxation in low-wealth counties.

Here’s a rough breakdown of where the state receives educational funds:

• 60% of instructional expenses come from the state
• 23% are made up from local county taxes 
• 17% is covered by federal programs 

The wealth gap is real and it dramatically affects spending on public education in North Carolina. The result is we are failing to provide a “uniform system of free public schools” as mandated by the state constitution.

The infographic below details more about how our state is failing to offer equal educational opportunities for all our children.