Every Triangle school funding source in one place
Wake, Johnston, Durham and Orange families can draw on 11 sources, from the statewide voucher to county pre-K. Each page covers eligibility and upcoming dates.
Last verified: October 2026
NC Opportunity Scholarship
The Opportunity Scholarship is North Carolina's private school voucher. For 2026-27 it pays a Direct Payment School $3,574 to $7,942 per student per year, depending on household income, and there is no income ceiling.
Who qualifies →Disability ESA · $9,000 or $17,000ESA+ (Education Student Accounts)
ESA+ is a state-funded savings account for North Carolina kindergarten-through-12th-grade students who have a disability. The 2026-27 account holds $9,000, or $17,000 for five listed disability categories, and pays tuition, therapy, tutoring, curriculum and devices through ClassWallet.
Who qualifies →Free · Wake County 4-year-oldsWake Pre-K (NC Pre-K, Title I & Head Start)
Wake County families apply once for three free pre-K programs: NC Pre-K, WCPSS Title I Pre-K and Telamon Head Start. The child must live in Wake and be four by August 31, and the application center is run by Wake County Smart Start.
Who qualifies →County-funded · Durham 4-year-oldsDurham PreK
Durham PreK is Durham County's own investment in pre-kindergarten for four-year-olds, managed by Early Years Inc. Its stated aim is high-quality pre-K for every four-year-old in the county.
Who qualifies →Free · Income-basedNC Pre-K (North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten)
NC Pre-K is North Carolina's free pre-kindergarten year for four-year-olds whose household income is no more than three-quarters of the state median. In Johnston, Orange and Durham it runs through each county's NC Pre-K contractor, and in Wake it is part of the Wake Pre-K application.
Who qualifies →Income-based · Working parentsChild Care Subsidy (Subsidized Child Care Assistance)
North Carolina's child care subsidy helps parents who work, attend school or job training pay a participating child care provider. In Wake County, Wake County Social Services takes applications; Durham, Orange and Johnston families apply at their county social services department.
Who qualifies →New in 2027 · NC opted inFederal Scholarship Tax Credit (2027)
From January 1, 2027, a gift to an approved scholarship granting organization earns the donor a federal tax credit equal to the gift, capped at $1,700 per taxpayer. North Carolina opted in when the General Assembly overrode the veto of HB 87, and NCSEAA will list the state's SGOs.
Who qualifies →Catholic schoolsCatholic School Aid (Diocese of Raleigh)
Triangle Catholic schools belong to the Diocese of Raleigh, which covers 54 counties of eastern North Carolina. Families combine the Opportunity Scholarship or ESA+ with school-level need-based aid and diocesan programs such as tuition assistance for students of African American and Native American ancestry.
Who qualifies →Tuition-free college coursesCareer & College Promise (Dual Enrollment)
Career & College Promise (CCP) is North Carolina's tuition-free dual enrollment program for eligible high school juniors and seniors, and students at private schools and registered home schools can take part. Wake Tech, Durham Tech and Johnston Community College serve the Triangle.
Who qualifies →From the schoolSchool-Based Tuition Assistance
Most Triangle private schools set their own need-based aid, sibling discounts and church-member rates. That aid usually comes after your state award, so knowing your tier first helps you ask the right questions.
Who qualifies →Private partner fundEdu Fund Partner Scholarship
The Edu Fund Partner Scholarship is a private fund for partner church and community schools. Its terms are confirmed during your funding check, and no amount is promised in advance.
Who qualifies →Tier calculator
Enter household size and income to see your 2026-27 tier and award.
Find my tier →What the scholarship pays for
Where the line falls between required fees and extras, with five illustrative Triangle budgets.
See the budgets →Key dates
- Oct 1, 2026Fall Opportunity Scholarship and ESA+ money is released only for students already enrolled at, and showing up to, a Direct Payment School on this date.
- Jan 1, 2027Gifts to approved scholarship granting organizations can start earning the federal credit on January 1, 2027. North Carolina opted in when legislators overrode the veto of HB 87 in May and June 2026.
- Early Feb 2027 (expected)NCSEAA has not posted 2027-28 dates. Its 2026-27 priority window for new Opportunity Scholarship and ESA+ applicants opened February 2, 2026, so plan for early February.
- Early Mar 2027 (expected)The 2026-27 priority window closed at 5 p.m. on March 2, 2026. Applications inside the window are funded before late ones, so finish before the posted close.
- Spring 2027For 2026-27 the diocese's African American and Native American Ancestry tuition assistance ran from February 1 to March 15, with decisions by May 24. Watch for the 2027-28 notice in winter.
- Third week of June 2027NCSEAA says current-year ESA+ expenses must be submitted before the third week of June. ClassWallet reopens in July, and summer services can be prepaid through August 31.
- Jul 15, 2027Schools that enroll Opportunity Scholarship students send their test data to NCSEAA by July 15 each year, and under the 2026 budget they keep test records for four years.
Which North Carolina program is a voucher, an ESA or a tax credit?
| Model | North Carolina program |
|---|---|
| Voucher (the state pays the school) | Opportunity Scholarship |
| Education savings account (the family directs spending) | ESA+ for students with disabilities |
| Tax-credit scholarship (donors fund SGOs) | Federal scholarship tax credit, from 2027 |
Find out which programs your child can use
About two minutes of questions. Then a Raleigh Edu Funding advisor phones you with an estimated tier, the programs that match and the deadlines coming up.