Last Updated: December 29, 2009
Eleven states have especially high numbers of rural students. Together these students represent much of the rural diversity characteristic of the nation as a whole: areas of extreme poverty, racial/ethnic diversity, a variety of economic bases, and a range of school and district configurations. Conditions in rural schools in these states, which enroll half of the nation’s rural students, exercise a significant influence on the condition of rural education in the country as a whole. (Source: Johnson, J. & Strange, M. (2009). Why rural matters: State and regional challenges and opportunities. Arlington, VA: The Rural School and Community Trust).