Rural High Plains students have a higher chance of graduating these days, reports The Rural Blog. That’s according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2015 Rural America at a Glance report. The number of rural adults with a four-year college degree has increased by 4 percent since 2000. And the number of rural residents without a high school diploma or GED has decreased by nine percent in the same period.
However, the report found that things were much harder for minority students than whites. In 2014, only 13 percent of white rural residents had failed to achieve at least a high school diploma. By contrast, 40 percent of rural Hispanic residents and 25 percent of rural black residents had gained less than a high school diploma.
These levels directly correspond to unemployment rates. Rural child poverty rates are also higher in areas with lower educational attainment.