N.C. Gen. Stat. » Chapter 115C
NC General Statutes

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-1 (2026)

General and uniform system of schools

✓ current as of July 2026
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A general and uniform system of free public schools shall be provided throughout the State, wherein equal opportunities shall be provided for all students, in accordance with the provisions of Article IX of the Constitution of North Carolina. Tuition shall be free of charge to all children of the State, and to every person of the State less than 21 years old, who has not completed a standard high school course of study. There shall be operated in every local school administrative unit a uniform school term of nine months, without the levy of a State ad valorem tax therefor. (1955, c. 1372, art. 1, s. 1; 1963, c. 448, s. 24; 1971, c. 704, s. 1; c. 1231, s. 1; 1981, c. 423, s. 1; 1983 (Reg. Sess., 1984), c. 1034, s. 21; 1985, c. 780, s. 1.)

 

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 17 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 1984–2026 · leading case: Wake Cares, Inc. v. Wake Cnty. Bd. of Educ., 675 S.E.2d 345 (N.C. 2009).
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Wake Cares, Inc. v. Wake Cnty. Bd. of Educ., 675 S.E.2d 345 (N.C. 2009). · cites it 58× “Plaintiffs argue, however, that N.C.G.S. § 115C-1 requires the Board to operate and provide equal access for all students to traditional calendar schools.”
Leandro v. State, 488 S.E.2d 249 (N.C. 1997). · cites it 4× “*259 § 115C-1 requiring a "general and uniform system of free public schools .”
Bonnie Peltier v. Charter Day Sch., Inc., 37 F.4th 104 (4th Cir. 2022). “1; N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-1. The state bears “an affirmative obligation” under the state constitution to educate North Carolina’s students and partially has “delegated that function” to charter school operators, who have carried out the state’s obligation by virtue of their…”
Alexander v. Cumberland Cnty. Bd. of Educ., 615 S.E.2d 408 (N.C. Ct. App. 2005). · cites it 2× “The statute, however, does not provide for further appeal of a two-day suspension imposed pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-391(b) to the superior court.”
Sugar Creek Charter Sch., Inc. v. State, 712 S.E.2d 730 (N.C. Ct. App. 2011). · cites it 2× “This constitutional provision is codified in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-1, which states, in part, that “[a] general and uniform system of free public schools shall be provided throughout the State, wherein equal opportunities shall be provided for all students, in accordance with…”
Barringer v. Caldwell Cnty. Bd. of Educ., 473 S.E.2d 435 (N.C. Ct. App. 1996). · cites it 3× “See N.C.G.S. § 115C-1, et. seq. *375 Pertinent factual and procedural background is as follows: At approximately 12:28 a.”
Leandro v. State, 468 S.E.2d 543 (N.C. Ct. App. 1996). · cites it 2× “First, G.S. § 115C-1 simply codifies the “general and uniform” and “equal opportunities” clauses of the Constitution, which we found above to provide no cognizable claim, and it affords no additional basis for relief.”
N.C. State Bd. of Educ. v. State, 805 S.E.2d 518 (N.C. Ct. App. 2017). · cites it 2× “" N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-1 (2015). Our state constitutional provisions for public education have not materially changed since 1942.”
Silver v. The Halifax Cty. Bd. of Commissioners, 805 S.E.2d 320 (N.C. Ct. App. 2017). “G.S. 115C-1. General and uniform system of schools.”
Gregory v. Durham Cnty. Bd. of Educ., 591 F. Supp. 145 (M.D.N.C. 1984). · cites it 2× “Defendant Board of Education is a corporate governmental body established pursuant to N.C.Gen.Stat. §§ 115C-1, et seq. As such, it has principal responsibility for the control and supervision of the Durham County school system.”
Ripellino v. N.C. Sch. Boards Ass'n, Inc., 627 S.E.2d 225 (N.C. Ct. App. 2006). · cites it 4× “" N.C. Gen.Stat. § 115C-1. The State Board of Education is vested with the powers to oversee "general supervision and administration of the free public school system.”
VESTER CARLISLE v. Nash/Rocky Mount Bd. of Educ., 477 S.E.2d 246 (N.C. Ct. App. 1996). “G.S. 115C-1, et sea. (f) Failed to formulate, publish and enforce policies and practices to control the behavior of the students while on buses.”
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