This week’s map looks at the percentage of schools that receive Title I funding. Title I is a federal program that provides financial assistance to districts and schools that have high numbers or percentages of students from low-income families. The goal of the program is to help ensure all children meet state academic standards.

Around 1,300 schools in North Carolina receive Title I funding, which is a little more than half (53 percent) of schools in the state. At the district level, the range of Title I participation is wide, from less than 20 percent of schools to 100 percent.

You can view districts within a specific range by using the slider bar in the upper right hand corner of the map. 

Districts with the highest percentages of Title I schools are located in more rural areas of the state, specifically the southeast and northeast regions. In many of these districts, more than three quarters of schools receive Title I funding.

Urban and suburban districts tend to have lower percentages of Title I schools. The lowest concentrations of Title I schools are found in the Charlotte suburbs of Union and Cabarrus county schools.

It’s also important to note the actual number of these schools in each district, which you can see if you hover over a district on the map. Rural districts often have fewer schools overall than urban and suburban districts. So even though urban and suburban districts tend to have lower percentages, the number of schools receiving Title I funding in these districts is often higher than rural districts with high percentages.