Rural and low-income schools

The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education awarded the Florida Department of Education $3,889,127 on July 1, 2026, under the Rural Education program (CFDA 84.358), a Formula Grant that provides financial assistance to rural districts to carry out activities to improve the quality of teaching and learning in their schools. The award obligates $3,889,127, with performance occurring in Tallahassee, Florida. The period of performance runs from July 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. As the state educational agency, Florida Department of Education administers the award and distributes subgrants to eligible local educational agencies throughout Florida on a formula basis. The Rural Education program comprises two components: the Small Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program, which awards directly to eligible LEAs, and the Rural Low-Income School (RLIS) program, which awards to state educational agencies that then distribute to LEAs meeting poverty and rural locale criteria. Eligible recipients serve schools in counties with population density below 10 persons per square mile or serve LEAs with fewer than 600 students in average daily attendance, or meet RLIS criteria of at least 20 percent of school-age children from families below the poverty line.