The Rural Definition
As of May 13, 2026, the REAC-proposed definition of “rural” was adopted by the Illinois State Board of Education. The following criteria for the Illinois definition of “rural” were recommended to the Rural Education Advisory Council, who in turn advanced their approval to the Illinois State Superintendent of Schools:
- District NCES Locale Code of 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43.
- Community Unit District Enrollment of 3,500 or fewer.
- Elementary District Enrollment of 2,500 or fewer.
- High School District Enrollment of 1,100 or fewer.
Why Define Rural in Illinois?
AIRSS advocates for all Illinois rural and small schools. This work depends on a clear understanding of who we are and where we are. Thus, defining “rural” must be the priority. It is the basis for each of our efforts: giving power to the rural VOICE, context for rural ADVOCACY, and urgency for greater rural ACCESS.
AIRSS has spearheaded defining “rural” with the Rural Education Advisory Council and other partners. Utilizing data from the U. S. Census Bureau, the National Center for Education Statistics’ Locale Codes, and the Rural Education Achievement Program, AIRSS Executive Director David Ardrey and Program Director John Glasgow established an early baseline for this definition. When these agencies updated their metrics in January 2025 because of changes in the 2020 U.S. Census, Glasgow and Ardrey undertook an extensive review of the new data to advance a more refined definition.
The revised data showed conclusively that Illinois became more rural than previously thought. Illinois gained 56 new rural communities and 21 rural districts according to NCES. We now host 489 small and rural school districts – about 57% of all public school districts in the state, representing 100 counties. The updated data also resolved earlier anomalies in the district codings. The revised data was more accurate, conclusive, and clear – and more small and rural than ever before. Glasgow and Ardrey shared their full confidence in the new data.
What is a Locale Code?
The National Center for Education Statistics assigns a Locale Code to every public school in the United States. This code describes if districts are urban, suburban, town, or rural. AIRSS considers codes in the 30s and 40s in our definition of rural and small.
Locale Codes considered “rural”:
- 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
Locale Codes generally considered “small”:
- 31, Fringe Town – Territory inside an urban cluster that is less than or equal to 10 miles from an urbanized area
- 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
Map of Illinois Rural and Small Schools
This map displays the full list of schools considered “rural” using our proposed definition. All schools are color coded to their most recent NCES locale code. Clicking on a dot will show the school’s name, locale code, and REAP eligibility status.
