Report: Tennessee rural schools seventh-lowest funded for instruction in the nation

Jason Gonzales | The Tennessean

More than 9.3 million students attend a rural school, and Tennessee has the fifth largest number of them in the country.

But the state is among the seventh-lowest in terms of funding for instruction in the nation, according to a recent report on the country's rural schools by the nonpartisan Rural School and Community Trust.

In Tennessee, almost 300,000 students attend a rural school — or one in three kids. The report, which seeks to frame the state of rural schools in the nation, points out that Tennessee is showing promise despite its level of funding.

It highlights areas of strength, but also problem areas, for states in teaching students with rural backgrounds.

For example, the report said: "22 states have decreased their state contributions for every local dollar invested in rural schools. Tennessee has seen the greatest drop ($1.68, down from $2.11 per local dollar)."

This comes as more Tennessee school districts are classified as rural, the report said.

And the state's rural students are more likely to face extreme poverty and move residences than their rural counterparts in other states.

Instructional spending and teacher salaries are low compared to other states, as well.

Still, rural Tennessee students are on par with their peers on most college readiness indicators and more than 93% are graduating from high school.

While a broad overview, the repor reveals areas where Gov. Bill Lee's administration might want to focus as he has championed rural education in the state since taking office early this year.

And that focus can be justified by Lee. Other recent reports have also highlighted challenges for rural schools, including under-staffing, fewer resources, limited access to fast broadband and less opportunity for students to take advanced academic courses.

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Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.