A volunteer work group of the Civic Education Consortium developed the NC Civic Index in response to a lack of comprehensive and meaningful measures of civic engagement.Nearly 800 non-voting age youth, ages 13-17, were asked about their civic skills, behavior, knowledge, attitudes and opportunities. To establish a benchmark for civic education and engagement, the Consortium also surveyed 800 adults on the same issues. Following the release of the Civic Index, the Consortium conducted community forums across the state; information on the forums can be found here.

Within six weeks of its release, the General Assembly passed new civics provisions for middle and high schools aimed at index findings. In Fall 2004, the State Board of Education adopted a requirement for future high-school seniors to complete a graduation project with an option of a civic engagement focus. The Carnegie Corporation of New York provided funding for the youth component of the NC Civic Index, and the Smith Richardson Foundation provided funding for the adult component.