Future Uncertain For Montana Rural Schoolhouses

The AP (5/7, Haake) reports that declining enrollment due to demographic shifts is threatening small rural schoolhouses in Montana, which are praised by educators for their high academic performance. The AP notes that there are some 400 rural schoolhouses in the US, with 60 in Montana. Such schools "are still used to educate the small population of rural students, who are isolated from towns by weather and geography." The AP adds that National Rural Education Association Executive Director John Hill "said these schools are fading fast" and that "Montana is home to more than any other state."