Nearly half of Missouri s public schools are in rural areas, and they serve more than one in five of the Show-Me State s students. But Missouri spends less than $6,000 dollars per rural pupil, which is only 81% of the rural U.S. average. .
In Arkansas and across the country, getting a college degree will become increasingly important in the job market of the future. A report from Georgetown University says almost three in four jobs will require higher education or training beyond high school by 2031. Arkansas ranks last among states for its share of jobs requiring postsecondary education. .