North Carolina

C

Religion

The early settlers who came to North Carolina brought various forms of Protestantism. Nearly one-half of church members are Baptist, and the second largest group is Methodist. Roman Catholics form the third largest religious group. Others in the state are the United Church of Christ, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Disciples of Christ, Quakers, Moravians, Jews, and small numbers of other religious groups, including some non-Christian world religions such as Islam and Buddhism.

V

Education and Cultural Institutions

A

Education

At the turn of the 20th century, North Carolina’s educational system was one of the weakest in the nation. School attendance was not required, and most school-age children did not go to school. Furthermore, there were few professionally trained teachers. Governor Charles B. Aycock, who took office in 1901, began a series of improvements that were continued under subsequent administrations. Schools were built at a rapid rate. The school year, originally four months, was gradually lengthened until, in 1943, it became nine months long. Over the first half of the 20th century many professional schools for training teachers were founded.

A

1

Primary and Secondary Education

School attendance is compulsory for children from the ages of 7 to 16. Private schools enroll 8 percent of the state’s children. In the 2002–2003 school year North Carolina spent $7,529 on each student’s education, compared to a national average of $9,299. There were 15.1 students for every teacher (the national average was 15.9 students per teacher). Of those older than 25 years of age in 2004, 80.9 percent had a high school diploma, while the national norm was 82.8 percent.

A

2

Higher Education

Founded in 1789, the University of North Carolina is now a consolidated state institution with 16 constituent campuses. Six campuses, with locations in Asheville, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh (North Carolina State), and Wilmington, were joined with ten other state institutions by legislation passed in 1971 to create the existing system. In 2004–2005 North Carolina had 75 public and 52 private institutions of higher learning.

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Among the many private universities serving the state, the most well-known are Duke University, in Durham; Wake Forest University, in Winston-Salem; and Davidson College, in Davidson. Other schools include Bennett College and Guilford College, both in Greensboro; Lenoir-Rhyne College, in Hickory; and Shaw University, in Raleigh.

Research Triangle Park—with its apexes focused on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University in Durham, and North Carolina State University in Raleigh—is a unique complex for institutional, governmental, and industrial research that was established in 1959.

A rapidly shifting economy pushed the state to consider a different type of education for residents. Beginning in the late 1950s, state government began funding a variety of post-high school training centers. Known now as the North Carolina Community College System, it has grown to encompass 59 campuses. In 1999-2000 it enrolled approximately one out of every eight adults in the state.

B

Libraries

North Carolina’s first library was established at Bath soon after 1700. There were, however, few public libraries in the state before 1900. Since then the number has grown significantly, and in 2002 the state had 76 tax-supported library systems. Each year the libraries circulate an average of 5.4 books for every resident. The state’s largest public library system is the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County.

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