The purpose of the Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program is to provide rural districts with financial assistance for initiatives aimed at improving student achievement. The grant is non-competitive, and eligibility is determined by statute. Awards are issued annually to State education agencies (SEAs), which make subgrants to local education agencies (LEAs) that meet the applicable requirements. Awards are made to all SEAs that apply and meet the applicable requirements.
Under the RLIS program, grants are made to SEAs with eligible school districts. SEAs sub-grant RLIS funds to eligible school districts to pay for activities authorized under Titles I-IV of the ESEA, as well as parental involvement activities. If a State elects to not participate in the RLIS program, eligible LEAs from that State are considered specially qualified agencies (SQAs) and can apply directly to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for RLIS-SQA awards. In order to be eligible school districts must have at least 20% of the children they serve come from families with incomes below the poverty line and be located in a rural area.
Applicant Information
Application Information for SEAs
The Rural and Low-Income School Program (RLIS) is a state-administered formula program. SEAs apply for RLIS through the consolidated state application or a program-specific application.
Application Information for LEAs
Eligible LEAs apply directly to their state for RLIS funds. The application process for sub-grants varies by state. For more information on how to apply for RLIS funds, please contact your REAP State Coordinator.
Eligibility
An LEA is eligible to participate in the RLIS program if it meets the statutory criteria of being both low-income and rural (see ESEA section 5221(b)(1)).
- To be considered low-income, 20% or more of the children ages five to 17 served by the LEA must be from families with incomes below the poverty line, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE). Rural non-geographic LEAs for which SAIPE data are not available that are eligible based on the same State-derived equivalent of SAIPE data that the State uses to make allocations under Part A of Title I of the ESEA, consistent with 34 C.F.R. § 200.72, are also eligible for RLIS funds.
- To be considered rural, all schools comprising the LEA must have a school locale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43 (assigned by NCES), or be located in an area of the State defined as rural by a governmental agency of the State.
RLIS-eligible LEAs do not receive their grant funds directly from ED. ED awards funds to SEAs administering the RLIS program, which in turn award subgrants to eligible LEAs based on SEA procedures. Therefore, an SEA may establish an award process that does not guarantee every RLIS-eligible LEA will receive a grant.
For more information about how RLIS differs from SRSA, review Frequently Asked Questions: REAP Dual-Eligible LEAs.
Master Eligibility Spreadsheet
ED annually produces a REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheet (MES) to determine which LEAs are eligible for SRSA and RLIS.
Access the current FY2026 REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheet
Review the information and contact your REAP State Coordinator with updates, if necessary. For primary and secondary contact changes for your LEA, please send updates to reap@ed.gov. When making a contact change, send the full name and email of the person being replaced, the full name and email of the person who will be the new contact, and indicate if the new contact will be the primary or secondary contact for your LEA. Note that it may take up to a week to see that change reflected on the MES posted here.
Prior Year REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheets
Note: These historical MES spreadsheets also include final award information.
Funding
Uses of Funds
LEAs that receive RLIS grants may use the funds to carry out the following types of activities:
- Title I, Part A (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Education Agencies)
- Example: A school district develops an entrepreneurial education program to supplement its civics curriculum.
- Title II, Part A (Supporting Effective Instruction)
- Example: A school district pays the stipend for a prospective teacher to work alongside an effective teacher, who is the teacher of record, for a full academic year.
- Title III (Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students)
- Example: A school district offers an afterschool enrichment program for English learners.
- Title IV, Part A (Student Support and Academic Enrichment)
- Example: A school district purchases a bully prevention program for all schools.
- Parental and Family Engagement
- Examples:
- Professional development for school personnel regarding parent and family engagement strategies.
- Providing materials to help parents improve their child's academic achievement (e.g. trainings on school online portals).
- Enabling parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions (e.g. provide childcare).
- Establishing formal parental advisory council.
- Examples:
Funding History
Amount of funding Congress approved for the Rural Education Achievement Program, by year. Also see how the REAP team distributes the funds between its two grant programs; SRSA and RLIS.
| Fiscal Year | REAP Funding (total) | SRSA Funding Portion | RLIS Funding Portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $225,000,000 | $112,500,000 | $112,500,000 |
| 2025 | $220,000,000 | $110,000,000 | $110,000,000 |
| 2024 | $220,000,000 | $110,000,000 | $110,000,000 |
| 2023 | $215,000,000 | $107,500,000 | $107,500,000 |
| 2022 | $195,000,000 | $97,500,000 | $97,500,000 |
| 2021 | $187,840,000 | $93,920,000 | $93,920,000 |
| 2020 | $185,840,000 | $92,920,000 | $92,920,000 |
| 2019 | $180,840,000 | $90,420,000 | $90,420,000 |
| 2018 | $180,840,000 | $90,420,000 | $90,420,000 |
| 2017 | $175,840,000 | $87,920,000 | $87,920,000 |
| 2016 | $175,840,000 | $87,920,000 | $87,920,000 |
| 2015 | $169,840,000 | $84,920,000 | $84,920,000 |
| 2014 | $169,840,000 | $84,920,000 | $84,920,000 |
| 2013 | $169,840,000 | $84,920,000 | $84,920,000 |
| 2012 | $179,193,000 | $89,596,500 | $89,596,500 |
| 2011 | $174,532,000 | $87,266,000 | $87,266,000 |
| 2010 | $174,882,000 | $87,441,000 | $87,441,000 |
| 2009 | $173,382,000 | $86,691,000 | $86,691,000 |
| 2008 | $171,854,000 | $85,927,000 | $85,927,000 |
| 2007 | $168,919,000 | $84,459,500 | $84,459,500 |
| 2006 | $168,919,000 | $84,459,500 | $84,459,500 |
| 2005 | $170,624,000 | $85,312,000 | $85,312,000 |
| 2004 | $167,831,000 | $83,915,500 | $83,915,500 |
| 2003 | $167,653,000 | $83,826,500 | $83,826,500 |
| 2002 | $162,500,000 | $81,250,000 | $81,250,000 |
Legislation
Impact of the Hold Harmless Provision on RLIS Eligibility in Fiscal Years (FY) 2021 through 2027
Starting in FY 2021, in accordance with a “hold harmless” provision in section 316(a) of the Act, when making RLIS awards in FYs 2021 through 2027, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) must also consider as eligible for an RLIS grant an LEA that does not meet the eligibility requirements in ESEA section 5221(b)(1) but:
- Received an RLIS grant in FY 2019 on the basis of alternative poverty data submitted by the State,
- Had a service area in which less than 20 percent of children ages 5 through 17 were from families with incomes below the poverty line, as determined by SAIPE data in FY 2019, and
- Meets the rural eligibility criteria described in section 5221(b) of the ESEA for the fiscal year for which the current eligibility determination is being made.
In each of the years included in the hold harmless period, an LEA that receives an award under the hold harmless provision will receive no more than the respective percent of the RLIS award amount the LEA received in FY 2019, as indicated in the table below:
| Fiscal Year | Hold Harmless Percentage Based on the LEA's FY 2019 Award Amount |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 100% |
| 2022 | 100% |
| 2023 | 83.33% |
| 2024 | 83.33%* |
| 2025 | 50% |
| 2026 | 83.33%** |
| 2027 | 16.67% |
*Pursuant to the Act, 2024, the FY 2024 Hold Harmless percentage based on the LEA's FY 2019 award was increased from 66.67% to 83.33%
**Pursuant to the Act, 2026, the FY 2026 Hold Harmless percentage based on the LEA's FY 2019 award was increased from 33.33% to 83.33%.
RLIS Grant Program Performance
The RLIS program provides grant funds to rural LEAs that serve concentrations of children from low-income families. Under RLIS, ED awards funds to State educational agencies (SEAs), which in turn make subgrants to LEAs. An SEA may award the RLIS grant funds to its eligible LEAs via a formula or via a competition. In some cases, ED awards RLIS funds directly to eligible LEAs; these LEAs are referred to as specially qualified agencies (SQAs). Whether receiving a sub-grant from its SEA or a grant directly from ED, an LEA uses these funds to support a range of authorized activities, in order to assist students in meeting challenging State academic standards.
As part of ED's responsibility for fiscal and programmatic oversight and to identify areas in which SEAs and SQAs need assistance and support to meet their goals and objectives, ED periodically assesses the extent to which SEAs and SQAs comply with RLIS program and fiscal requirements. Please see the two sections below specific to SEA performance reviews and SQA performance reviews:
SEA Performance Information
- Recent monitoring reports detailing SEA compliance with RLIS program and fiscal requirements are available at the School Support and Accountability Performance webpage. SEAs preparing for a future monitoring review may wish to reference past monitoring reports from other SEAs to learn more about the requirements that the review is conducted against and the potential outcomes from a monitoring review. These outcomes include areas of commendation, areas that meet requirements, areas with recommendations from the Department, and areas with required actions that must be addressed in order to comply with RLIS program and fiscal requirements.
SQA Performance Information
- For SQA performance information, please visit Rural and Low-Income School - Specially Qualified Agency Program (RLIS-SQA).
REAP Resources for Grantees
For additional REAP resources, including how to use and access funds, visit the Rural Education Achievement Program page.
Webinars
Contact Information
- REAP State Coordinator Contacts
- To contact your REAP Program Officer, please email REAP@ed.gov.
The purpose of the Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program is to provide rural districts with financial assistance for initiatives aimed at improving student achievement. The grant is non-competitive, and eligibility is determined by statute. Awards are issued annually to State education agencies (SEAs), which make subgrants to local education agencies (LEAs) that meet the applicable requirements. Awards are made to all SEAs that apply and meet the applicable requirements.
Under the RLIS program, grants are made to SEAs with eligible school districts. SEAs sub-grant RLIS funds to eligible school districts to pay for activities authorized under Titles I-IV of the ESEA, as well as parental involvement activities. If a State elects to not participate in the RLIS program, eligible LEAs from that State are considered specially qualified agencies (SQAs) and can apply directly to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for RLIS-SQA awards. In order to be eligible school districts must have at least 20% of the children they serve come from families with incomes below the poverty line and be located in a rural area.
Applicant Information
Application Information for SEAs
The Rural and Low-Income School Program (RLIS) is a state-administered formula program. SEAs apply for RLIS through the consolidated state application or a program-specific application.
Application Information for LEAs
Eligible LEAs apply directly to their state for RLIS funds. The application process for sub-grants varies by state. For more information on how to apply for RLIS funds, please contact your REAP State Coordinator.
Eligibility
An LEA is eligible to participate in the RLIS program if it meets the statutory criteria of being both low-income and rural (see ESEA section 5221(b)(1)).
- To be considered low-income, 20% or more of the children ages five to 17 served by the LEA must be from families with incomes below the poverty line, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE). Rural non-geographic LEAs for which SAIPE data are not available that are eligible based on the same State-derived equivalent of SAIPE data that the State uses to make allocations under Part A of Title I of the ESEA, consistent with 34 C.F.R. § 200.72, are also eligible for RLIS funds.
- To be considered rural, all schools comprising the LEA must have a school locale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43 (assigned by NCES), or be located in an area of the State defined as rural by a governmental agency of the State.
RLIS-eligible LEAs do not receive their grant funds directly from ED. ED awards funds to SEAs administering the RLIS program, which in turn award subgrants to eligible LEAs based on SEA procedures. Therefore, an SEA may establish an award process that does not guarantee every RLIS-eligible LEA will receive a grant.
For more information about how RLIS differs from SRSA, review Frequently Asked Questions: REAP Dual-Eligible LEAs.
Master Eligibility Spreadsheet
ED annually produces a REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheet (MES) to determine which LEAs are eligible for SRSA and RLIS.
Access the current FY2026 REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheet
Review the information and contact your REAP State Coordinator with updates, if necessary. For primary and secondary contact changes for your LEA, please send updates to reap@ed.gov. When making a contact change, send the full name and email of the person being replaced, the full name and email of the person who will be the new contact, and indicate if the new contact will be the primary or secondary contact for your LEA. Note that it may take up to a week to see that change reflected on the MES posted here.
Prior Year REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheets
Note: These historical MES spreadsheets also include final award information.
Funding
Uses of Funds
LEAs that receive RLIS grants may use the funds to carry out the following types of activities:
- Title I, Part A (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Education Agencies)
- Example: A school district develops an entrepreneurial education program to supplement its civics curriculum.
- Title II, Part A (Supporting Effective Instruction)
- Example: A school district pays the stipend for a prospective teacher to work alongside an effective teacher, who is the teacher of record, for a full academic year.
- Title III (Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students)
- Example: A school district offers an afterschool enrichment program for English learners.
- Title IV, Part A (Student Support and Academic Enrichment)
- Example: A school district purchases a bully prevention program for all schools.
- Parental and Family Engagement
- Examples:
- Professional development for school personnel regarding parent and family engagement strategies.
- Providing materials to help parents improve their child's academic achievement (e.g. trainings on school online portals).
- Enabling parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions (e.g. provide childcare).
- Establishing formal parental advisory council.
- Examples:
Funding History
Amount of funding Congress approved for the Rural Education Achievement Program, by year. Also see how the REAP team distributes the funds between its two grant programs; SRSA and RLIS.
| Fiscal Year | REAP Funding (total) | SRSA Funding Portion | RLIS Funding Portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $225,000,000 | $112,500,000 | $112,500,000 |
| 2025 | $220,000,000 | $110,000,000 | $110,000,000 |
| 2024 | $220,000,000 | $110,000,000 | $110,000,000 |
| 2023 | $215,000,000 | $107,500,000 | $107,500,000 |
| 2022 | $195,000,000 | $97,500,000 | $97,500,000 |
| 2021 | $187,840,000 | $93,920,000 | $93,920,000 |
| 2020 | $185,840,000 | $92,920,000 | $92,920,000 |
| 2019 | $180,840,000 | $90,420,000 | $90,420,000 |
| 2018 | $180,840,000 | $90,420,000 | $90,420,000 |
| 2017 | $175,840,000 | $87,920,000 | $87,920,000 |
| 2016 | $175,840,000 | $87,920,000 | $87,920,000 |
| 2015 | $169,840,000 | $84,920,000 | $84,920,000 |
| 2014 | $169,840,000 | $84,920,000 | $84,920,000 |
| 2013 | $169,840,000 | $84,920,000 | $84,920,000 |
| 2012 | $179,193,000 | $89,596,500 | $89,596,500 |
| 2011 | $174,532,000 | $87,266,000 | $87,266,000 |
| 2010 | $174,882,000 | $87,441,000 | $87,441,000 |
| 2009 | $173,382,000 | $86,691,000 | $86,691,000 |
| 2008 | $171,854,000 | $85,927,000 | $85,927,000 |
| 2007 | $168,919,000 | $84,459,500 | $84,459,500 |
| 2006 | $168,919,000 | $84,459,500 | $84,459,500 |
| 2005 | $170,624,000 | $85,312,000 | $85,312,000 |
| 2004 | $167,831,000 | $83,915,500 | $83,915,500 |
| 2003 | $167,653,000 | $83,826,500 | $83,826,500 |
| 2002 | $162,500,000 | $81,250,000 | $81,250,000 |
Legislation
Impact of the Hold Harmless Provision on RLIS Eligibility in Fiscal Years (FY) 2021 through 2027
Starting in FY 2021, in accordance with a “hold harmless” provision in section 316(a) of the Act, when making RLIS awards in FYs 2021 through 2027, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) must also consider as eligible for an RLIS grant an LEA that does not meet the eligibility requirements in ESEA section 5221(b)(1) but:
- Received an RLIS grant in FY 2019 on the basis of alternative poverty data submitted by the State,
- Had a service area in which less than 20 percent of children ages 5 through 17 were from families with incomes below the poverty line, as determined by SAIPE data in FY 2019, and
- Meets the rural eligibility criteria described in section 5221(b) of the ESEA for the fiscal year for which the current eligibility determination is being made.
In each of the years included in the hold harmless period, an LEA that receives an award under the hold harmless provision will receive no more than the respective percent of the RLIS award amount the LEA received in FY 2019, as indicated in the table below:
| Fiscal Year | Hold Harmless Percentage Based on the LEA's FY 2019 Award Amount |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 100% |
| 2022 | 100% |
| 2023 | 83.33% |
| 2024 | 83.33%* |
| 2025 | 50% |
| 2026 | 83.33%** |
| 2027 | 16.67% |
*Pursuant to the Act, 2024, the FY 2024 Hold Harmless percentage based on the LEA's FY 2019 award was increased from 66.67% to 83.33%
**Pursuant to the Act, 2026, the FY 2026 Hold Harmless percentage based on the LEA's FY 2019 award was increased from 33.33% to 83.33%.
RLIS Grant Program Performance
The RLIS program provides grant funds to rural LEAs that serve concentrations of children from low-income families. Under RLIS, ED awards funds to State educational agencies (SEAs), which in turn make subgrants to LEAs. An SEA may award the RLIS grant funds to its eligible LEAs via a formula or via a competition. In some cases, ED awards RLIS funds directly to eligible LEAs; these LEAs are referred to as specially qualified agencies (SQAs). Whether receiving a sub-grant from its SEA or a grant directly from ED, an LEA uses these funds to support a range of authorized activities, in order to assist students in meeting challenging State academic standards.
As part of ED's responsibility for fiscal and programmatic oversight and to identify areas in which SEAs and SQAs need assistance and support to meet their goals and objectives, ED periodically assesses the extent to which SEAs and SQAs comply with RLIS program and fiscal requirements. Please see the two sections below specific to SEA performance reviews and SQA performance reviews:
SEA Performance Information
- Recent monitoring reports detailing SEA compliance with RLIS program and fiscal requirements are available at the School Support and Accountability Performance webpage. SEAs preparing for a future monitoring review may wish to reference past monitoring reports from other SEAs to learn more about the requirements that the review is conducted against and the potential outcomes from a monitoring review. These outcomes include areas of commendation, areas that meet requirements, areas with recommendations from the Department, and areas with required actions that must be addressed in order to comply with RLIS program and fiscal requirements.
SQA Performance Information
- For SQA performance information, please visit Rural and Low-Income School - Specially Qualified Agency Program (RLIS-SQA).
REAP Resources for Grantees
For additional REAP resources, including how to use and access funds, visit the Rural Education Achievement Program page.
Webinars
Contact Information
- REAP State Coordinator Contacts
- To contact your REAP Program Officer, please email REAP@ed.gov.