Private and home school enrollment on the rise in North Carolina

New statewide reports show students are increasingly attending non-public schools in North Carolina. 

In the last academic year, nearly 158,000 students across the state were homeschooled — up 3% from the year before. There was a similar rise in private school enrollment, accounting for more than 131,000 students in the state. 

In Guilford County specifically, the enrollment increases for non-public options were slightly higher, around 5%. Last year, nearly 7,200 students in the area attended private schools and 5,000 were homeschooled. 

The changes were more varied in Forsyth County. Private enrollment was down a handful of students, but still roughly the same as the year before, around 5,700. 

The home school numbers, on the other hand, jumped by 8% for a total of about 5,500 students. 

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.