Rural Schools and Health – Resources

Local Food Procurement Pathways: Key Drivers of Farm to School Participating Authorities Buying Directly From Farmers
Examines the factors impacting school food authorities' (SFAs) decisions when procuring local foods through Farm to School (F2S) programs. Analyzes trends in F2S procurement from 2018 to 2023, local food infrastructure, and SFA funding, sourcing, procuring, and serving of local foods. Includes supply chain data, use of local vendors, and procurement characteristics by SFA size and rural versus urban location.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): D. Adeline Yeh, Ashley Spalding, Christine Sauer, et al.
Date: 09/2026
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Resourcefulness, Ingenuity, and Community Strengths in Meeting Rural Youth Mental Health Needs: A Multiple Case Study
Examines how rural schools strategize to meet mental health needs of their students. Utilizes interview and focus group data from 133 educators regarding their experiences of maximizing school resources, providing staff development and training, and developing social-emotional curricula.
Author(s): Aaron Leo, Jessie Tobin, Paul Guay, Kristen Campbell Wilcox
Citation: The Rural Educator, 47(3), 47-64
Date: 06/2026
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School-Based Telehealth Interventions: Evidence Roundup
Provides an overview on school-based telehealth services, focusing on service type, policy and funding, evidence on effectiveness, and replicable models. Includes discussion on the value of school-based telehealth for rural communities as well as examples of rural programs.
Author(s): Kelsey Brykman
Date: 06/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Coping Power-Rural: A Pilot Study of the Two-Tiered Preventive Intervention Focused on Addressing Transdiagnostic Needs in Rural Schools
Examines a pilot study of the Coping Power-Rural program, a mental health program designed for elementary and middle school students living in rural areas. Reports on the impact of the program with pre- and post-test data from school staff and students, focused on issues such as conduct problems, internalizing problems, teacher efficacy, burnout, family involvement, and more.
Author(s): Catherine P. Bradshaw, Courtney G. Newman, Katelyn Birchfield, et al.
Citation: School Mental Health
Date: 04/2026
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Initial Challenges Implementing the Full-Service Community Schools Approach and How FY 2023 Grantees Addressed Them
Examines the challenges experienced by Full-Service Community Schools program grantees and partner schools when implementing the grants in their first year. Provides a snapshot of how rural and high-poverty schools engage families, combine funding streams, and create data systems while sustaining the structure of a community school that addresses academic, physical, and mental health needs of students.
Author(s): Eryn Larang, Ijun Lai, Erica Lee, Ira Nichols-Barrer, Megan Davis
Date: 03/2026
Sponsoring organization: Institute of Education Sciences
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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
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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
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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
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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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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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