Rural and low-income schools

The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education awarded the Michigan Department of Education $1,705,820 on July 1, 2026, under the Rural Education program (CFDA 84.358), a formula grant designed to provide financial assistance to rural districts to carry out activities that improve the quality of teaching and learning in their schools.

The award funds activities serving rural elementary and secondary schools, students, and teachers in Michigan. The Michigan Department of Education administers the funds, which flow as pass-through grants to eligible local educational agencies in the state. Eligible recipients are local educational agencies meeting Rural Education Achievement Program criteria: those serving fewer than 600 students in average daily attendance or where each school is located in a county with fewer than 10 persons per square mile and all schools are designated rural by the National Center for Education Statistics, or those where at least 20 percent of school children ages 5–17 come from families with incomes below the poverty line and all schools carry specific school locale codes.

The period of performance runs from July 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, with place of performance in Lansing, Michigan. The grant obligates $1,705,820. Grants are awarded for one year. The Michigan Department of Education is responsible for maintaining records for three years after completion of the activities funded.