Alaska ranks 20th overall among the 50 states in need of rural education attention and improvement. Alaska is among the nation’s most rural states, with more than half of all schools located in rural areas. These rural schools face critically high levels of poverty—almost 50% of students qualify for subsidized meals—and serve one of the nation’s highest percentages of both English Language Learner (ELL) students and minorities, primarily Alaska Natives. With high average statewide spending on instruction, but inequitable distribution of revenue, Alaska’s rural schools are among the highest and the lowest funded schools in the nation. Scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress for rural Alaska were not available, but graduation rates indicate that just over six in ten rural students are earning a high school diploma.