Roy Cooper Waged War on North Carolina’s School Voucher Program, but Sent His Daughter to Private School
Amy Curtis
Townhall
March 5, 2026
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It turns out Cooper has also lied repeatedly about his children attending public schools while waging a war on school choice in North Carolina.
This is a lie that Cooper has repeated several times, including on Roland Martin’s podcast. “I grew up in eastern North Carolina, went to public schools in eastern North Carolina,” Cooper said. That is just not true. Cooper’s daughter Natalie attended the elite St. Mary’s School, a private school in Raleigh, where the tuition was $39,144 per year in 2011 (the year Cooper’s daughter graduated) with an additional “comprehensive fee” of $2,950. In 2026, the tuition is $66,500.
Meanwhile, Cooper has denied a quality private education to other North Carolina students. In 2017, Cooper said he opposed a voucher program for private schools, claiming there’s a “lack of accountability.”
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Cooper called school vouchers a “waste” as well, calling for their elimination.
Cooper declared 2024 “the year of public schools” and once again lied in an ad about his children attending public schools.
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Cooper also vetoed HB10, legislation that would have expanded North Carolina’s voucher program.
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HB10 allocated about $463 million to the Opportunity Scholarship program, in part to eliminate the waitlist for families who are otherwise qualified for vouchers, with lower-income families given priority. That funding also helps middle-class families, with families of four earning up to $116,000 a year qualifying for the program, too.
The Republican-controlled legislature overrode Cooper’s veto of HB10, clearing the way for the 54,000 students on the waitlist to obtain vouchers.
Read more here.
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