Rural and low-income schools

The Michigan Department of Education received a formula grant award of $1,722,529.00 from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education under the Rural Education program (CFDA 84.358) effective July 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. This award supports financial assistance to rural school districts and low-income local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve the quality of teaching and learning in their schools. The Rural Education program provides formula-based grants through two mechanisms: the Small Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program, which targets LEAs with fewer than 600 students in average daily attendance or those in sparsely populated areas, and the Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program, which targets LEAs with at least 20 percent of school-age children from families below the poverty line.

As the state education agency, the Michigan Department of Education administers and distributes these funds to eligible LEAs within Michigan to support activities that enhance educational resources, infrastructure, and instructional capabilities in rural communities. A sub-award of these funds was distributed on February 12, 2026, to Summit Academy North, a local school entity, to support various Department of Education programs in Michigan, including school meal programs, professional development, Title I services for disadvantaged students, and well-rounded education initiatives. Records associated with this grant must be maintained for three years following completion of funded activities, and entities expending $1,000,000 or more in federal awards are subject to single or program-specific audit requirements.