Section 1.

Establishes a fifteen-member NC High School Redesign Commission (Commission), located administratively in the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to explore and recommend changes to policies and systems governing high school and higher education that will better prepare North Carolina students for success as they transition to higher education or the workforce. Provides for the appointment of members including four members from named nonprofits, a chair, meetings, terms, and vacancies. Tasks the Commission with examining promising practices in North Carolina and nationally to inform the Commission's recommendations, including the twelve specified. Tasks the chair with designating nonprofit members to plan meetings and providing staff. Instructs that funds appropriated to DPI to be used to contract with one or more organizations to plan and manage Commission meetings pursuant will be divided equally among the organizations designated by the chair unless otherwise agreed by the chair and all designated organizations. Starting on April 30, 2026, requires the Commission to submit an annual report to the specified NCGA committee including all recommendations approved by a majority of its members and the described summaries. Sunsets the Commission on the earlier of June 30, 2030 or upon the filing of its final annual report.

Section 2.

Establishes the Competency-Based High School and Healthcare and High-Tech Pathways Program (Pathways Program) to create pathways that will utilize competency-based education (CBE). Specifies that pathways will result in obtaining either an associate degree or an industry recognized credential/certification/licensure based on the student's goal of employment or enrollment. Students will decide their college or career track at the end of their junior year with an initial emphasis on healthcare preparation. Instructs Mooresville Graded School District (MGSD) to partner with Mitchell Community College (MCC) to implement the Pathways Program. Establishes a timeline for the Pathways Program. Offers nine described flexibilities to the Pathways Program, including permitting MGSD to offer Credit by Demonstrated Mastery assessments and CTE Proof of Learning assessments outside of existing State testing windows and allowing participating students to have access to all community college courses at MCC, regardless of pathway selection. Requires MGSD to partner with a selected a third-party vendor (Vendor) that is an educational support provider as described, to develop standards-aligned  proficiency scales for all content areas in grades nine through 12 to ensure educators in the participating schools have the tools necessary to successfully transition to CBE approaches. Declares the General Assembly’s intent to appropriate $2 million for each year of the 2025-27 biennium, which would not revert but instead remain available until the end of the biennium. Allocates the funds to MGSD for three specified purposes, including to contract with experts in CBE and designing stackable credentials.

Section 3.

Establishes the Lighthouse Match Project (LMP) to increase the percentage of high school students who are (1) eligible to complete college level mathematics upon graduation from high school and (2) able to complete college level math either through dual enrollment while in high school or within the first year of college enrollment. Directs Wake Technical Community College (Wake Tech) to partner with Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) for high school students at the two named schools to be eligible to participate in LMP at the Wake Tech East campus of Wake Tech. Instructs Wake Tech and WCPSS to partner with SparkNC to align LMP participants' ongoing efforts at the Wake Tech East campus with  the design and implementation of LMP. Directs WCPSS, in collaboration with Wake Tech, to contract with Khan Academy, Inc. (Khan), for use of the artificial intelligence student tutoring program, Khanmigo for the purposes described. Requires Khan, in consultation with Wake Tech and WCPSS to work to develop a self-paced, competency-based modular math course with appropriate student diagnostics and student assessments based on the college readiness math competencies provided as part of LMP. Specifies the General Assembly’s intent to appropriate $500,000 from the General Fund to DPI for the 2025-26 year to contract with Khan for the licenses for the Khanmigo application and to create the course developed as described above. Declares the General Assembly’s intent that the appropriated funds will not revert but remain available to accomplish the appropriated purposes until the end of the 2026-27 year. Specifies the General Assembly’s intent to appropriate $1 million from the General Fund to the Community Colleges Systems Office (Office) for 2025-26 to be used to establish time-limited positions at Wake Tech, as described. Declares the General Assembly’s intent that the appropriated funds will not revert but remain available to accomplish the appropriated purposes until the end of the 2028-29 year.

Section 4.

Establishes the Community College Seamless Skills Initiative (Initiative) to create a CBE model that seamlessly connects high school and community college, as described. Instructs Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) and Wilkes Community College (WCC) to partner to implement the duties of the Initiative. Specifies seven project goals. Provides for a digital wallet as described. Tasks the Office with providing ongoing technical support to community colleges participating in the Initiative. Specifies the General Assembly’s intent to appropriate $3.75 million from the General Fund to the Community Colleges Systems Office (Office) for the 2025-26 year to be allocated to FTCC and WCC for the Initiative, as described. Declares the General Assembly’s intent that the appropriated funds will not revert but that up to $2.75 million will remain available to FTCC and up to $1 million will remain available to WCC to accomplish the appropriated purposes until the end of the 2028-29 year.

Section 5.

Directs MGSD, MCC, Wake Tech, WCPSS, FTCC, WCC, and SparkNC to collaborate to create a Competency-Based Education and High School Redesign Strategic Network (Network), with the president of SparkNC or their designee to serve as chair. Specifies that the Network will provide a means for each entity to share what it has learned and developed regarding CBE and high school redesign. Specifies that the goals of the Network are to advance the goals of developing a CBE approach to education across the State.

Section 6.

Requires the Office of Learning Research at the North Carolina Collaboratory to study and evaluate the programs established and report to the specified NCGA committee by March 15, 2027, and annually thereafter, culminating in a final report on March 15, 2030, to include at the four specified matters. Declares the intent of the General Assembly to appropriate $450,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina for the 2025-26 fiscal year to be allocated to the North Carolina Collaboratory for the Office of Learning Research to conduct the study and evaluation.

Section 7.

Effective when the Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2025 becomes law and if that bill appropriates funds for the purposes detailed in each section of the act.