Colorado’s rural communities have low levels of poverty, low rates of students with special education needs, and high levels of adult educational attainment, contributing to an overall priority ranking of 31st in the country in need of rural education attention and improvement. Still, the state’s rural schools must meet the needs of one of the nation’s highest percentages of English Language Learner students—the tenth highest among the 50 states—and a very diverse student population. Rural per pupil instructional expenditures are below the national average, and salary expenditures for instructional staff are lower than all but 14 states.