And students can receive an education that's as good, if not better, than an education in urban or suburban areas, even if there aren't as many AP classes. Many teachers point to feelings of greater personal safety, active support from community members, fewer student discipline problems, and more freedom to teach subjects. Due to the smaller populations, rural communities usually have smaller schools and smaller class sizes. Also, rural teachers are more likely to say they exercise a great deal of influence in establishing curriculum. Rural schools have pioneered many education reform tools popular today.
Performance is below that of suburban students, but higher than that of urban students.
An outdated system of funding has resulted in a great inequity between rural and urban schools. Because a few rural areas have no tax base, the amount of money allocated to schools in these areas is based on a complicated formula tied to the harvest of lumber on federal land. When the logging industry collapsed in rural areas, the amount of money allocated to rural schools decreased. The cutbacks have affected staffing and facilities. Alpine County has suffered tremendously, says Anna Maria Coletti, president of the Alpine County Teachers Association.