$1.09 billion raised for education

Thanks to your play of lottery games, the lottery raised more than $1 billion last year to support public education in our state.

That’s the second year in a row that more than $1 billion was raised.

More than half of the money raised went to North Carolina counties to help build and repair public schools. All counties get funds to help build and repair schools and some, based on need, can receive grants up to $62 million to help build a new school.

 Besides helping to build and repair schools, the money raised by the lottery last year:

• Helped make college more affordable through scholarships and grants based on financial need. The new Next NC Scholarship provides recipients attending a community college at least $3,000 and those attending a state university at least $5,000 for help with tuition and fees.
• Supported each school system with the costs of school support staff and transportation.
• Provided a free year in an academic preschool to at-risk four-year-olds in the NC Pre-K program.

Several North Carolina counties have shared stories of the impact the new schools are having on their communities. To see those stories, check out these videos:

• Granite Falls Middle School

• Hayesville Primary School in Clay County

• Tar Heel School in Bladen County

• Northwest Harnett Elementary School in Harnett County

• Cherokee Schools of Innovation in Cherokee County

• Wilson Academy of Applied Technology in Wilson County

 At the end of the fiscal year on June 30^th, the lottery crossed the milestone of raising more than $11 billion since it started in 2006.

See how lottery funds have benefited every county in the Education section of our website.