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Background
Rural and remote districts served nearly 10 million students in 2019, or 20% of total public school enrollment.1 More rural school districts (59%) report serious difficulties filling vacant positions compared with suburban (51%) or urban (56%) schools, namely in foreign languages, special education, physical sciences, and math.2
These districts have unique educator recruitment challenges.* Compared with urban and suburban areas, rural and remote districts often have limited technology and instructional support resources, lower pay, and fewer professional development and collaboration opportunities. Feelings of isolation add to retention hurdles, especially for early career teachers and those who are sole teachers of one subject in a school.3
Social and community factors also play a role. Many rural teachers choose to work in these geographical areas because they have personal or family ties—they may have grown up in the area, already live nearby, or have a partner with a local job. However, staffing needs surpass these local connections—especially in places without nearby educator preparation programs, which can further shrink the pool of potential candidates. Candidates without existing community ties may worry about integrating into close-knit communities or relocating due to a lack of affordable housing.4
Recommendations
The following actions can help states and districts address the educator shortage.
Expand professional learning and development opportunities by leveraging online resources or consortia models to include degree completion and/or certification attainment.
Consider Grow Your Own (GYO) programs to provide additional pathways into the teaching profession for local residents, such as current staff and district graduates.
Target marketing related to place-based motivations, such as the appeal of rural lifestyle.
Engage in outreach and partnerships with teacher preparation programs, including online programs, to prioritize the support and hiring of their graduates, as well as with businesses to prioritize spousal employment as a recruitment strategy.
Improve compensation to be competitive with other districts, and/or offer additional benefits—such as signing bonuses, loan repayment or forgiveness, moving expense reimbursement, or housing assistance—to make the overall compensation package more attractive.
* As defined by NCES 
, rural districts are census-defined areas at least 5 miles from an urbanized center and within 2.5 miles of an urban cluster. Remote districts are 25+ miles from an urbanized center and more than 10 miles from an urban cluster.
Resources
Brief
Enhancing Teacher Retention in Rural Schools: Analysis and Recommendations
This brief by Dr. Julio Fregoso highlights challenges, insights, and strategies to support recruitment in rural districts.
Brief
Recruiting and Retaining Rural Teachers – A Resource Brief
This brief from the Region 9 Comprehensive Center highlights examples of strategies, programs, and initiatives to recruit teachers to rural school districts.
WEB PAGE
Rural Education Resource Center
This resource hub from the U.S. Department of Education focuses on supporting rural communities.
Research
The Unique Challenges and Best Practices for Rural School Principals: Attracting and Retaining Skilled Teachers in Small Communities
This research by Ray Barbosa Jr. and Betty Coneway explores challenges and best practices for rural school principals.
References
1 Enrollment and School Choice in Rural Areas 
(National Center for Education Statistics)
2 Difficulty Hiring Teachers in Rural Areas (National Center for Education Statistics)
3 Enhancing Teacher Retention in Rural Schools: Analysis and Recommendations (Julio Fregoso)
4Is Housing the Key to Attracting Teachers? These Folks Think So (Sandra Larson)
