Rural Schools

By: National Education Association

Published: November 13, 2026

This issue explainer originally appeared on NEA.org

Nearly one in five U.S. students attends a rural school. More than 7 million students are enrolled in rural school districts, and another 2.5 million attend rural schools in districts that are not classified as entirely rural.

All students in public schools deserve the same opportunities to learn and thrive. But too often, rural school districts are under-resourced, leading to challenges in meeting student and community needs. We must ensure that rural public schools have the funding, programs, and staffing needed to provide a well-rounded education that supports student success.

Federal programs such as Secure Rural Schools (SRS) and the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) are essential to many rural communities. Policymakers should strengthen and sustain these investments so that every student, regardless of ZIP code, can thrive.

Secure Rural Schools Program

The Secure Rural Schools program (SRS program) was created to support communities in counties with National Forestland due to the lower tax base that in turn supports public services. Many rural public schools in these forested counties depend heavily on the SRS program to support public services and opportunities for their students.
The Secure Rural Schools program (SRS) provides funding to 4,400 school districts in over 700 counties, across 41 states and Puerto Rico.
The SRS program provides funding to counties that contain national forests, compensating them for the presence of nontaxable federal land.
For more information on the Secure Rural Schools program, please see the Congressional Research Service Report.

Rural Education Achievement Program

The Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) was created to address the unique needs of rural public schools, students, and educators. REAP provides two grant programs for rural local educational agencies (LEAs): one for districts that serve a small number of students and another for districts with high concentrations of low-income students, regardless of enrollment in the rural school district.
To be eligible, an LEA must be recognized as “rural” through the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
For more information on the Rural Education Achievement Program, please see this Congressional Research Service Report.

When we act together and lift our voices together in unison, we can improve the lives of children.

Secure Rural Schools Program

Rural Education Achievement Program

References

Keeping the Promise of Quality Public Education

Suggested Results

Rural Schools

Secure Rural Schools Program

Rural Education Achievement Program

References

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Keeping the Promise of Quality Public Education