Facts and Figures about States With Most Schools in Rural Places


Last Updated: June 25, 2012
 

This article appeared in the June 2012 Rural Policy Matters.

Question: In which 15 states are more than half of all schools located in a rural place?

Answer: South Dakota (78.6%), Montana (75.1%), Vermont (73.7%), North Dakota (72.4%), Maine (66.8%), Alaska (63.3%), Nebraska (56.3%), Wyoming (56.1%), Arkansas (55.2%), Oklahoma (53.9%), West Virginia (53.4%), Iowa (53.2%), Mississippi (51.2%), New Hampshire (51.0%), and North Carolina (50.2%). In addition, more than 49% of schools are located in rural areas in Kentucky (49.8%), Kansas (49.8%), and Alabama (49.1%).

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, Public School Universe, 2006-07. In Why Rural Matters 2011-12.

Read more from the June 2012 Rural Policy Matters.