Louisiana’s rural schools serve some of the most impoverished communities in the U.S. The rural minority population is sizable, the percentage of special education students is moderately high, and educational attainment for rural adults is lower than all but five states. Instructional expenditures are low, and proportional spending on transportation is among the nation’s highest. Schools and districts are large in comparison with other states. Scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress and graduation rates are among the lowest in the U.S. All of this gives Louisiana ranking of ninth in the country in need of rural education attention and improvement.