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A school bus travels on Route 13 north passing Chittenango Falls State Park on a fall afternoon

(Mike Greenlar | mgreenlar@syracuse.com)

Rural schools in Upstate New York are struggling with rapid declines in enrollment and increasing poverty, according to a report released today.

While thousands of students have left rural public districts, poverty rates in these schools have increased, according to the analysis by the New York State Association of School Business Officials.

In the report, the association examined 340 rural districts, which make up about half the districts in the entire state, but enroll just 11.1 percent of the state's students.

It found that between the 2004-05 and 2014-15 school years, 97 percent of rural districts experienced enrollment declines. About 85 percent had enrollment declines of 10 percent or more.

The data shows that the most rural regions in the state have experienced the worst population drain. The Finger Lakes and Southern Tier each lost about 15 percent of their student populations. Central New York, Western New York and Mohawk Valley had between 12 and 15 percent declines.

Nearly half of rural districts are now considered "high need," due to decreasing family incomes and rural poverty.

Rural schools still have lower poverty rates than non-rural schools, but the gap is narrowing: In 2003, the poverty rate among school-aged children in rural schools was around 14 percent, with the rate in non-rural schools closer to 20 percent.

The most recent poverty rate for non-rural schools is about 21 percent, while the rate in rural schools increased to around 23 percent.

The student population in all New York schools is going down -- it corresponds with overall population declines in New York state. Rural areas have been hit the hardest.

According to the report, the population is also aging -- the percentage of New Yorkers older than 55 increased by about 7 percent in the last 16 years, while the percentage younger than 40 fell 5 percent.

These demographic changes have presented a number of challenges, according to the report:

Staffing -- Fluctuations in classes year to year makes administrators hesitant to hire new staff.

Funding -- Declining enrollment means less state aid and that strains school budgets.

Quality of education -- Students in rural schools might not have the same opportunities to take Advanced Placement or college preparation courses, or participate in sports, music or other extra-curricular activities.

Social interaction -- Declining enrollment leads to social isolation.

The association is encouraging districts to collaborate with each other to share things such as college-level courses or sports teams. It's also pushing for more state funding to help districts provide pre-kindergarten classes and internet access.

Reporter Julie McMahon covers education. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992