Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Schools
Community Schools in Rural California: Leveraging Shared Resources in West Kern County
Discusses access challenges related to academic, social, and mental health supports in rural schools and provides a case study of a community school approach in California. Provides findings, lessons, collaborative strategies, and sustainability efforts from the West Kern Consortium for Full-Service Community Schools.
Author(s): Laura E. Hernández Emily Germain
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Learning Policy Institute
view details
Discusses access challenges related to academic, social, and mental health supports in rural schools and provides a case study of a community school approach in California. Provides findings, lessons, collaborative strategies, and sustainability efforts from the West Kern Consortium for Full-Service Community Schools.
Author(s): Laura E. Hernández Emily Germain
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Learning Policy Institute
view details
Expanding the Reach of the Full-Service Community Schools Program
Examines the impact of the U.S. Department of Education's Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) grant program to expand community schools in rural and high-poverty areas. Discusses the impact of community schools to provide health and human services supports to students in high-need areas as well as information about and location of new FSCS grantees. Includes data on percentage of 2023 FSCSs that are rural versus non-rural.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Institute of Education Sciences
view details
Examines the impact of the U.S. Department of Education's Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) grant program to expand community schools in rural and high-poverty areas. Discusses the impact of community schools to provide health and human services supports to students in high-need areas as well as information about and location of new FSCS grantees. Includes data on percentage of 2023 FSCSs that are rural versus non-rural.
Date: 02/2026
Sponsoring organization: Institute of Education Sciences
view details
Perspectives on Universal Free School Meals Among Rural Middle and High School Students: A Mixed-Methods Study
Examines perspectives on Universal Free School Meals (UFSM) among students living in rural Maine. Utilizes survey and interview data among middle and high school students to analyze student characteristics, meal preferences, and perceptions of school breakfasts and lunches.
Author(s): Ashley Kesack, Michele Polacsek, Alexis Schneider, Juliana F. W. Cohen
Citation: Nutrients, 18(3), 540
Date: 02/2026
view details
Examines perspectives on Universal Free School Meals (UFSM) among students living in rural Maine. Utilizes survey and interview data among middle and high school students to analyze student characteristics, meal preferences, and perceptions of school breakfasts and lunches.
Author(s): Ashley Kesack, Michele Polacsek, Alexis Schneider, Juliana F. W. Cohen
Citation: Nutrients, 18(3), 540
Date: 02/2026
view details
Policy Brief: Teen Mental Health and School-Based Services in California
Presents data on rural and urban teen mental health and the availability of mental health services in schools in California, and provides recommendations for facilitating mental health service availability and use in schools. See Figure 12 within Full Report for additional data on health expenditures per student by level of rurality.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: Public Policy Institute of California
view details
Presents data on rural and urban teen mental health and the availability of mental health services in schools in California, and provides recommendations for facilitating mental health service availability and use in schools. See Figure 12 within Full Report for additional data on health expenditures per student by level of rurality.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: Public Policy Institute of California
view details
Caregiver Perceptions of USDA Rural Non-Congregate Summer Meals for Children in California
Presents results of survey on the benefits, accessibility, and practicality of SUN Meals To-Go, a USDA rural non-congregate summer meal program, in California among caregivers of children who received services in the summer of 2024. Provides data and interview excerpts highlighting caregiver perspectives.
Author(s): Emily Patten, J. Mitchell Vaterlaus, Lori A. Spruance, et al.
Citation: Nutrients, 18(2), 270
Date: 01/2026
view details
Presents results of survey on the benefits, accessibility, and practicality of SUN Meals To-Go, a USDA rural non-congregate summer meal program, in California among caregivers of children who received services in the summer of 2024. Provides data and interview excerpts highlighting caregiver perspectives.
Author(s): Emily Patten, J. Mitchell Vaterlaus, Lori A. Spruance, et al.
Citation: Nutrients, 18(2), 270
Date: 01/2026
view details
Universal School Meal Policies and Perceived Stigma: Quantitative Evidence From Eight US States
Examines relationships among universal school meals (USMs) policies, stigma surrounding USM, and perceptions of school lunch. Utilizes survey data from 1,066 middle and high school students regarding their feelings of embarrassment surrounding school lunch, with breakdowns according to participant sociodemographics and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Dania Orta-Aleman, Monica D. Zuercher, Leah E. Chapman, et al.
Citation: Journal of School Health, 96(1), e70098
Date: 01/2026
view details
Examines relationships among universal school meals (USMs) policies, stigma surrounding USM, and perceptions of school lunch. Utilizes survey data from 1,066 middle and high school students regarding their feelings of embarrassment surrounding school lunch, with breakdowns according to participant sociodemographics and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Dania Orta-Aleman, Monica D. Zuercher, Leah E. Chapman, et al.
Citation: Journal of School Health, 96(1), e70098
Date: 01/2026
view details
Learning Modalities During COVID-19 and Adolescent Mental Health in North Carolina
Examines virtual, hybrid, and in-person learning modalities and their impact on adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes mental health emergency department (ED) visits in North Carolina alongside county-level information on learning modalities used over time. Provides rural versus urban data on impacts of learning modality on mental health.
Author(s): Justin Cole Gilbert, Martie P. Thompson, Sophia Ryan, Manan Roy
Citation: Journal of School Health, 96(1), e70093
Date: 01/2026
view details
Examines virtual, hybrid, and in-person learning modalities and their impact on adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes mental health emergency department (ED) visits in North Carolina alongside county-level information on learning modalities used over time. Provides rural versus urban data on impacts of learning modality on mental health.
Author(s): Justin Cole Gilbert, Martie P. Thompson, Sophia Ryan, Manan Roy
Citation: Journal of School Health, 96(1), e70093
Date: 01/2026
view details
High School Graduates for Nonmetropolitan Counties
Printable map that shows the percent of population attaining at least a high school graduate education or equivalent by county. Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates.
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Printable map that shows the percent of population attaining at least a high school graduate education or equivalent by county. Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates.
Date: 01/2026
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
"Sacred Ground for Kids": Institutional Perspectives on Rural School-Based Health Centers as Patient-Centered Medical Homes
Presents a study on the role school-based health centers (SBHCs) play in providing care to children in rural counties and explores the potential for SBHCs to function as patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) for rural students. Highlights findings from interviews in four rural counties in New York and identifies challenges for SBHCs functioning as a PCMH.
Author(s): Xue Zhang, Mildred E. Warner
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(4), e70098
Date: 12/2025
view details
Presents a study on the role school-based health centers (SBHCs) play in providing care to children in rural counties and explores the potential for SBHCs to function as patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) for rural students. Highlights findings from interviews in four rural counties in New York and identifies challenges for SBHCs functioning as a PCMH.
Author(s): Xue Zhang, Mildred E. Warner
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(4), e70098
Date: 12/2025
view details
Awakening the Seeds In Native Youth: Native Farm to School Evaluation Report
Discusses the Native Farm to School project, a food systems initiative that supports tribal communities in integrating sustainable cultural practices, land stewardship, and traditional foods into their local Indigenous food systems. Provides details on a 2023-2025 USDA-FNS and Newman's Own Foundation grant that enabled 16 tribal communities across the U.S. to revitalize their food systems through school programming and community partnerships.
Author(s): Leah Simeon, Richard Elm-Hill, Cetan Christensen, et al.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: First Nations Development Institute
view details
Discusses the Native Farm to School project, a food systems initiative that supports tribal communities in integrating sustainable cultural practices, land stewardship, and traditional foods into their local Indigenous food systems. Provides details on a 2023-2025 USDA-FNS and Newman's Own Foundation grant that enabled 16 tribal communities across the U.S. to revitalize their food systems through school programming and community partnerships.
Author(s): Leah Simeon, Richard Elm-Hill, Cetan Christensen, et al.
Date: 12/2025
Sponsoring organization: First Nations Development Institute
view details