Rural and low-income schools

The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education awarded the California Department of Education Fiscal and Administrative Services Division $7.263 million under the Rural Education program (CFDA 84.358) on July 1, 2026. The Rural Education Achievement Program provides financial assistance to rural districts to carry out activities improving the quality of teaching and learning in their schools. This formula grant funds the California Department of Education's pass-through distribution to eligible local educational agencies and schools in the state. The award obligates $7,263,577 with a period of performance through September 30, 2027, and performance is located in Sacramento, California. As a State Educational Agency under the Rural Education program structure, the California Department of Education receives the award and distributes funds to LEAs either through the Small Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program, which serves LEAs with fewer than 600 students in average daily attendance or located in areas with population density below 10 persons per square mile, or 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 and schools with specified rural locale codes.