Equity in Access to College Readiness Programs in Rural Charter and Traditional Public Schools in the United States

• In Event: Navigating Challenges, Cultivating Strengths: Rural Educational Leadership for Justice and Inclusion

Abstract

This study assesses how locale, enrollment, and charter status influence access to college readiness courses. Using 2021–2022 federal data, we analyze 9,800 schools and 6.2 million students across ten states. Guided by the Opportunities and Conditions to Learn framework, hurdle regressions model the odds that a school offers Advanced Placement (AP), Dual Enrollment (DE), or International Baccalaureate (IB) and student participation. Rural schools are 2.3 times likelier to offer DE but 28 and 34 percent less likely to offer AP and IB. DE participation is similar across locales, while rural enrollment in AP and IB lags. Enrollment size predicts access better than geography. Rural charters are 30 percent likelier than rural districts to provide DE, revealing gaps in rural schools.

Authors

• Ali Jahanaray, Clemson University

• Phillip D. Grant, Clemson University