Mathematics achievement gaps between suburban students and their rural and urban peers increase over time

Developing strong mathematical skills early in life is necessary for all students.1 At the most basic level, an understanding of mathematics is necessary for citizens to evaluate major financial decisions (such as whether to buy a house or take a job), plan a family budget, and understand political polls. Mathematics also helps students develop general problem-solving skills. Furthermore, without a strong foundation in early mathematics, students are not prepared to enroll in more advanced mathematics courses at the high school and college level.2 Mathematics courses such as algebra, geometry, statistics, and calculus provide an essential foundation not only for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, but also in social science research, business, and accounting, for example. Rural schools, however, do not always have access to the same level of federal funding as urban and suburban schools, which can limit the opportunity students have for learning mathematics.3 Nine percent of rural school district budgets are covered by federal funds, compared with 11 percent of budgets in urban school districts.4 Low salaries, threats of consolidation, and the geographic isolation of many rural areas make it a challenge for rural districts to attract and retain highly qualified teachers, particularly in high-need subjects such as mathematics.5 Despite these challenges, many rural schools offer unique factors that are associated with mathematics achievement, such as smaller class size and community cohesiveness.6 In this brief, we consider whether attending a school in a rural, urban, or suburban community is related to children’s mathematics achievement in kindergarten, and whether increases in mathematics achievement between kindergarten Key Findings