1.4. Elementary and secondary public school students, by region and state

A greater proportion of public school students in the South and the Midwest were enrolled in rural schools in 2003–04 than in the Northeast and the West.

In 2003–04, among all regions the South had the largest percentage of public school students enrolled in rural schools (28 percent), followed by the Midwest (25 percent), Northeast (16 percent), and West (13 percent) (table 1.4). Looking at individual states, Maine and Vermont had more than 50 percent of their public school students enrolled in rural schools (53 percent each), while Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West Virginia each had over 40 percent of their public school students enrolled in rural schools (41–47 percent).

The percentage of public school students enrolled in remote rural areas differed across the regions of the country (table A-1.4). The Midwest had the largest percentage of students enrolled in remote rural areas (5 percent), followed by the South (3 percent), West (3 percent), and the Northeast (1 percent). In the states, North Dakota and South Dakota had more than 30 percent of their public school students enrolled in remote rural schools (35 and 32 percent, respectively), while Alaska, Montana, Nebraska, Vermont, and Wyoming each had 15 percent or more of their public school students enrolled in remote rural schools (15–24 percent).