With a sizable rural population, severe socioeconomic challenges, and poor educational outcomes, South Carolina ranks sixth in the country in need of rural education attention and improvement. More than one-third of all public schools are rural, more than half of all rural students qualify for subsidized meals (the sixth highest percentage in the nation), and almost half of all rural students fail to earn a high school diploma in four years (the worst rate in the U.S.). Minority and special education student enrollment is among the highest in the country. Instructional expenditures are low, as are salaries. Rural schools and districts are among the largest in the nation, and scores on the National Assessment on Educational Progress are among the lowest.