Formula Grant S358B260024

The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education awarded $7.639 million to the Mississippi Department of Education on July 1, 2026, under the Rural Education program (CFDA 84.358), a formula grant designed to improve teaching and learning quality in rural school districts. The Mississippi Department of Education, through its Office of Grants Management and Budget, receives and administers this award, which covers the period from July 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, with place of performance in Jackson, Mississippi. The Rural Education program provides financial assistance to rural local educational agencies that meet eligibility criteria, including districts serving fewer than 600 students in average daily attendance or districts where each school is located in a county with population density below 10 persons per square mile, or state-designated rural areas. Under the program's Rural Low-Income Schools (RLIS) component, the Mississippi Department of Education distributes funds to eligible local educational agencies on a formula or competitive basis, targeting districts where at least 20 percent of school children ages 5–17 come from families with incomes below the poverty line. As a state educational agency, MDE serves as the intermediary between federal funding and local school districts, typically sub-awarding these resources to local educational agencies to deliver targeted educational programs and services across Mississippi.