In the poorest rural schools, most students are Afican American, Hispanic or Native American

In the nation's poorest rural districts, the classes are filled mostly by students of color, according to Census Bureau data analyzed by the Rural School and Community Trust.

The January issue of the trust's Rural Policy Matters reports that among the 800 rural districts with the highest poverty rates, about 26 percent of the students are African American, 20 percent Hispanic and 10 percent Native American. These districts, called the "Rural 800,"serve 969,000 school-age children in 38 states. In Alabama, 81 percent are African-American, while in New Mexico 90 percent are either Hispanic (47 percent) or Native American (43 percent). Nationwide, 11 percent of students in the Rural 800 are English Language Learners. (Read more)

The January issue (available here) also highlights the five states with the lowest per rural pupil expenditures: Oklahoma ($3,591 per pupil), Mississippi ($3,688), Arkansas ($3,790), Alabama ($3,793) and Tennessee ($3,856).