Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Schools
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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"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
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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
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Lost Opportunity: Afterschool in Demand, But Out of Reach for Many
Provides information about afterschool programs and their demand, affordability, accessibility, and availability. Discusses benefits of afterschool programs and policy to support them. Includes rural, suburban, and urban comparisons related to program enrollment and perceived benefits.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Afterschool Alliance
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Provides information about afterschool programs and their demand, affordability, accessibility, and availability. Discusses benefits of afterschool programs and policy to support them. Includes rural, suburban, and urban comparisons related to program enrollment and perceived benefits.
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Afterschool Alliance
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Transforming Rural Health Care Through Medicaid Innovation: Tip Sheet Series
Informational tip sheets discussing the use of Medicaid innovations to assist states in creating their Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program applications. Covers issues such as behavioral health, school-based services, integrated care access, community health workers, community paramedicine, specialty care, and healthcare technology. Provides examples, strategies, Medicaid policy information, and resources.
Additional links: Improving Access to Integrated Care for Dually Eligible Individuals in Rural Areas, Leveraging Community Health Workers to Address Rural Health Care Needs, Leveraging Community Paramedicine to Address Rural Health Needs, Leveraging Peers and Lay Counselors to Address Behavioral Health Care Workforce Shortages in Rural Areas, Using Project ECHO to Deliver Specialty Care in Rural Areas, Using School-Based Services to Improve Access to Preventive Health Care for Children in Rural Areas, Using Tech-Enabled Solutions to Improve Care Quality and Access in Rural Areas
Author(s): Molly Knowles, Nancy Archibald, Karla Silverman, Lauren Scannelli Jacobs
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Informational tip sheets discussing the use of Medicaid innovations to assist states in creating their Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program applications. Covers issues such as behavioral health, school-based services, integrated care access, community health workers, community paramedicine, specialty care, and healthcare technology. Provides examples, strategies, Medicaid policy information, and resources.
Additional links: Improving Access to Integrated Care for Dually Eligible Individuals in Rural Areas, Leveraging Community Health Workers to Address Rural Health Care Needs, Leveraging Community Paramedicine to Address Rural Health Needs, Leveraging Peers and Lay Counselors to Address Behavioral Health Care Workforce Shortages in Rural Areas, Using Project ECHO to Deliver Specialty Care in Rural Areas, Using School-Based Services to Improve Access to Preventive Health Care for Children in Rural Areas, Using Tech-Enabled Solutions to Improve Care Quality and Access in Rural Areas
Author(s): Molly Knowles, Nancy Archibald, Karla Silverman, Lauren Scannelli Jacobs
Date: 10/2025
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Transforming Access to Hearing Care: Community Perspectives on School-Based Telehealth in Rural Appalachia
Examines community perspectives on school-based hearing screenings completed via telemedicine as an adaptation to provide auditory healthcare access to rural communities. Provides feedback from 21 semi-structured interviews from parents, school staff, and care providers in Appalachian counties regarding childhood hearing loss, screening and follow-up processes, integration of telemedicine, and more.
Author(s): Mary Katherine Oberman, Marissa Schuh Gebert, Olivia Henderson, et al.
Citation: Ear & Hearing - The Official Journal of the American Auditory Society, 47(2), 378-388
Date: 09/2025
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Examines community perspectives on school-based hearing screenings completed via telemedicine as an adaptation to provide auditory healthcare access to rural communities. Provides feedback from 21 semi-structured interviews from parents, school staff, and care providers in Appalachian counties regarding childhood hearing loss, screening and follow-up processes, integration of telemedicine, and more.
Author(s): Mary Katherine Oberman, Marissa Schuh Gebert, Olivia Henderson, et al.
Citation: Ear & Hearing - The Official Journal of the American Auditory Society, 47(2), 378-388
Date: 09/2025
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State Youth Peer Support Policy Toolkit
Toolkit presents resources and guidance for developing and supporting state-level policy for peer support to address youth mental health needs. Highlights models, funding mechanisms, and training, among other aspects integral to youth peer support programs.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Mental Health America
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Toolkit presents resources and guidance for developing and supporting state-level policy for peer support to address youth mental health needs. Highlights models, funding mechanisms, and training, among other aspects integral to youth peer support programs.
Date: 09/2025
Sponsoring organization: Mental Health America
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