The Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) provides funding support for rural and small schools. This page includes general information from the U.S. Department of Education about the program, definitions of terms used in the program, and eligibility requirements.
General Information
The REAP program was created and began providing funds to rural schools through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. You can view this legislation here.
REAP is designed to address the unique needs of rural local educational agencies (LEAs) that may lack the personnel and resources to compete effectively for Federal competitive grants and that often receive grant allocations in amounts that are too small to be effective in meeting their intended purposes.
– U.S. Department of Education
Glossary of Common Terms Related to REAP:
- AFUA: Alternative Funds Use Authority
- ESEA: Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended
- FY: Fiscal year (REAP follows the federal fiscal year)
- LEA: Local Educational Agency
- REAP: Rural Education Achievement Program
- RINAP: Rural, Insular, and Native Achievement Programs
- RLIS: Rural and Low-Income School – grants are made to SEAs, SEAs make sub grants to LEAs
- SMA: System for Award Management
- SEA: State Educational agency
- SRSA: Small, Rural School Achievement – grants are made directly to LEAs
- UEI: Unique Entity Identifier
REAP Funding Timeline:
- January – March: Eligibility Determination
- April – May: SRSA Application
- June: Final Cohorts
- July – September: Award Allocations
Eligibility
Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA): LEAs must be both Small and Rural
- SRSA Definition of a Small LEA: Average Daily Attendance is fewer than 600 students OR located in a county with a population density of less than 10 persons per square mile
- SRSA Definition of a Rural LEA: NCES Locale Code 41, 42, 43 OR designated as “rural” by a governmental agency of the State
Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS): LEAs must be both Rural and Low Income
- RLIS Definition of a Rural LEA: NCES Locale Code 32, 33, 41, 42, 43 OR designated as “rural” by a governmental agency of the State
- RLIS Definition of a Low-Income LEA: 20% or more of children aged 5-17 served by the LEA must be from families with comes below the poverty line as determined by data from the Small Area Income Poverty Estimates of the Bureau of the Census (SAIPE Data)
Dual Eligibility: a handful of LEAs may be eligible for both programs (in FY26, 18 total)
- “Choice of Participation” provision of ESEA
- LEAs with dual eligibility may only receive funds under one program
- LEAs must determine which program under which they would like to receive funds
Locale Code Definitions
- 32, Distant Town – Territory inside an urban cluster that is more than 10 miles and less than or equal to 35 miles from an urbanized area
- 33, Remote Town – Territory inside an urban cluster that is more than 35 miles from an urbanized area
- 41, Fringe Rural – Census-defined rural territory that is less than or equal to 5 miles from a n urbanized area, as well as rural territory that is less than or equal to 2.5 miles from and urban cluster
- 42, Distant Rural – Census-defined rural territory that is more than 5 miles but less than or equal to 25 miles form an urbanized area, as well as rural territory that is more than 2.5 miles but les than or equal to 10 miles from an urban cluster
- 43, Remote Rural – Census-defined rural territory that is more than 25 miles from an urbanized area and is also from that 10 miles from an urban cluster
Uses of Funds
The goal of REAP funding is to “supplement, not supplant.” REAP funding cannot be used to fully fund programs or projects, especially if they would not be implemented by the LEA otherwise.
SRSA Uses of Funds
- Title I, Part A – Improving Basic Programs Operative by LEAs
- Title II, Part A – Supporting Effective Instruction
- Title III – Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students
- Title IV, Part A – Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants
- Title IV, Part B – 21st Century Community Learning Centers
RLIS Uses of Funds
- Title I, Part A – Improving Basic Programs Operative by LEAs
- Title II, Part A – Supporting Effective Instruction
- Title III – Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students
- Title IV, Part A – Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants
- Parental Involvement activities
Flexible Spending through Alternative Funds Use Authority (AFUA)
- Any LEA eligible for SRSA may exercise AFUA, including dual-eligible LEAs that have chosen RLIS funding
- LEA must notify the state before the SEA’s deadline
- May be used for any SRSA allowable uses of funds
Stay Up-to-Date
All applications and eligibility information about REAP is sent directly from the USDE to the contact they have for your district. The main way rural and small districts miss out on their funding is that the information was sent to an outdated contact. Please take time each January to make sure your contact with the U.S. Department of Education are accurate.
More details about the REAP program are available on the USDE’s website. Please take time to review and update your LEA on pertinent information, and contact AIRSS with questions or concerns. You may also contact a REAP program officer at REAP@ed.gov.
