Adriana Harrington is the Managing Director of Policy for ExcelinEd.
Across the United States, more than 9.5 million students attend rural schools, a population that’s larger than the enrollment of the 100 biggest school districts combined. Yet despite this scale, rural communities are often left out of the conversation when state leaders design education policy.
Rural communities experience different economic realities than their urban and suburban peers, including higher poverty and unemployment rates. The digital divide looms large, with 28% of rural residents lacking broadband, limiting access to online learning, career exploration and telehealth.
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Meanwhile, resource constraints shape everything from facilities funding to staffing. Rural districts spend dramatically more on transportation due to distance and geography, which reduces the dollars available for classroom instruction.
These challenges do not reflect deficits; they reflect the realities of geography. State policy must recognize and respond to those realities.
A stable, high-quality teacher workforce is foundational to student success. But recruiting and retaining teachers in rural districts is a persistent challenge. Limited labor markets, housing shortages and professional isolation all contribute to turnover.
Solutions are emerging: Grow Your Own programs help communities build their own talent pipelines by training paraprofessionals and local high school graduates to become teachers. States are also finding success with targeted incentives like loan forgiveness, housing stipends and rural pay differentials that make teaching in rural schools more attractive. Some districts are repurposing unused school facilities into affordable teacher housing, ensuring that educators can live in the communities they serve.
State Spotlight: Tennessee
Tennessee launched the nation’s first federally recognized Teacher Apprenticeship Program, making it possible for residents to earn full teaching credentials through paid, on-the-job training, an approach that strengthens the local workforce and keeps educators rooted in rural communities.
Every student deserves options that reflect their needs and goals, but rural families may have more limited access to specialized programs, unique school models or advanced coursework. State leaders are supporting innovation through Education Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) and microschools, both of which allow small, place-based learning models tailored to rural communities.
Policies that facilitate open enrollment also can help students access programs across district boundaries when appropriate. And transportation flexibility, including shared vans and travel stipends, ensures students can participate regardless of geography. When states craft policies that encourage and enable choice, they expand opportunities without requiring families to relocate.
Rural students often live far from higher education institutions, and this can narrow their postsecondary pathways. But rural communities also have vibrant local industries like advanced manufacturing, agriculture, logistics and healthcare that require skilled talent.
The most effective college and career pathways strategies connect K–12 learning to those local workforce needs. States are embedding college access support in rural high schools, strengthening regional partnerships between districts, higher ed and employers. They also are scaling dual-credit and career pathways, so students graduate with credentials and real-world experience.
State Spotlight: Texas
The Rural Schools Innovation Zone brought five South Texas districts together to offer specialized pathways none could provide alone. In just four years, dual-credit participation increased from 15% to 61%, paving the way for broader statewide expansion through Texas’s Rural Pathways Excellence Partnerships.
High-speed internet is no longer optional for students. Rural students must be able to complete digital coursework, explore online career opportunities and participate in remote learning when necessary. Yet far too many remain without consistent access to broadband.
States are leveraging BEAD and Digital Equity Act funding to expand rural access, updating broadband maps to prioritize unserved communities and piloting emerging technologies such as satellite and 5G to reach the most remote learners. Breaking down longstanding broadband barriers will support rural students.
To help policymakers act with urgency and clarity, we’re sharing two free resources:
📘 Rural Education Policy Playbook
A comprehensive guide outlining policy levers to support rural teacher pipelines, educational opportunity, career pathways, and digital infrastructure.
📄 Revitalizing Rural Education: A Policy Roadmap for States
A one-page overview highlighting challenges and actionable solutions that can be shared with legislators, agency leaders, or board members.
Rural education is a national priority that needs to be addressed at the state level—where policymakers best know the needs specific to their communities.
When states support rural schools with thoughtful, student-centered policy, they can drive economic growth, expand opportunity for every student and strengthen the connection between learning and life.
The solutions exist, and some states are already proving what’s possible. Now is the time to bring those successes to every rural community.
