Notice2026-02186
Application Deadline for Fiscal Year 2026 New Awards; Small, Rural School Achievement Program
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Published
February 3, 2026
Issuing agencies
Education Department
Abstract
Under the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) awards grants on a formula basis to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) to address the unique needs of rural school districts. In this notice, we establish the deadline and describe the application process for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 SRSA grant. All LEAs eligible for FY 2026 SRSA funds must apply electronically via the process described in this notice by the deadline listed below.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 22 (Tuesday, February 3, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 22 (Tuesday, February 3, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4914-4915]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02186]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Application Deadline for Fiscal Year 2026 New Awards; Small,
Rural School Achievement Program
AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Under the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) program, the
U.S. Department of Education (Department) awards grants on a formula
basis to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) to address the
unique needs of rural school districts. In this notice, we establish
the deadline and describe the application process for the fiscal year
(FY) 2026 SRSA grant.
All LEAs eligible for FY 2026 SRSA funds must apply electronically
via the process described in this notice by the deadline listed below.
DATES:
Applications Available: April 13, 2026.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 18, 2026.
Application Technical Assistance: The Department will announce via
email application technical assistance opportunities for applicants
when the application becomes available.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Victoria Hammer, Rural Education
Achievement Program (REAP), U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 401-0039. Email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2c5e494d5c6c4948024b435a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6f1d0a0e1f2f0a0b41080019">[email protected]</span></a>.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and
wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Assistance Listing Number: 84.358A.
OMB Control Number: 1810-0646.
I. Award Information
Type of Award: Formula grant.
Available Funds: The President's FY 2026 budget proposed
consolidating SRSA into a new, Simplified Funding Program. We are
inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant
process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
Estimated Range of Awards: $100-$80,000.
Note: The amount of an LEA's award depends on the number and makeup
of eligible LEAs that complete the SRSA application, and the amount
Congress appropriates for the program. Some eligible LEAs may receive
an SRSA allocation of $0 due to the statutory funding formula and, in
that case, will not be invited to submit an application.
Estimated Number of Awards: 4,300.
II. Eligibility Information
Eligibility: For FY 2026, an LEA (including a public charter school
that meets the definition of LEA in section 8101(30) of the ESEA) is
eligible for an award under the SRSA program if it meets both of the
criteria below:
(a) The total number of students in average daily attendance at all
of the schools served by the LEA is fewer than 600, or each county in
which a school served by the LEA is located has a total population
density of fewer than 10 persons per square mile; and
(b) All of the schools served by the LEA are designated with a
school locale code of 41, 42, or 43 by the Department's National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), or the Secretary has determined, based
on a demonstration by the LEA and
[[Page 4915]]
concurrence of the State educational agency, that the LEA is located in
an area defined as rural by a governmental agency of the State.
The Department provides an eligibility spreadsheet listing each LEA
eligible to apply for FY 2026 SRSA funds. The spreadsheet will be
available on the Department's website at: <a href="https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/formula-grants/rural-and-insular-areas/small-rural-school-achievement-program#srsa-eligibility">https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/formula-grants/rural-and-insular-areas/small-rural-school-achievement-program#srsa-eligibility</a>.
If an LEA on the Department's spreadsheet of LEAs eligible to apply
for an FY 2026 SRSA award will close prior to the 2026-2027 school
year, that LEA is not eligible to receive an FY 2026 SRSA award and
should not apply.
Note: The ``Choice of Participation'' provision under section 5225
of the ESEA gives an LEA eligible for both SRSA and the Rural and Low-
Income School (RLIS) program, which is authorized under title V, part
B, subpart 2 of the ESEA, the option to participate in either the SRSA
program or the RLIS program. 20 U.S.C. 7351d. An LEA eligible for both
SRSA and RLIS is henceforth referred to as a ``dual-eligible LEA.'' The
Department will consider a dual-eligible LEA's SRSA application as the
LEA's indication that it chooses to receive SRSA funds instead of RLIS
funds.
III. Application Information
Eligible LEAs Required to Submit an Application
Each LEA interested in and eligible to receive an SRSA award must
submit an SRSA application regardless of whether the LEA received an
award or submitted an application in a previous year. For example, if a
rural community has two distinct LEAs--one composed of its elementary
school(s) and one composed of its high school(s)--each distinct LEA
must submit its own SRSA application. This requirement applies to all
eligible LEAs, including each dual-eligible LEA that chooses to
participate in the SRSA program instead of the RLIS program and each
SRSA-eligible LEA that is a member of an educational service agency
(ESA) that does not receive SRSA funds on the LEA's behalf. In the case
of an SRSA-eligible LEA that is a member of an SRSA-eligible ESA, the
LEA and ESA must coordinate directly with each other to determine which
entity will submit an SRSA application on the LEA's behalf, as both
entities may not apply for or receive SRSA funds for the LEA.
Notice of UEI Requirement
As required by 2 CFR part 25, Appendix A, entities receiving funds
from the Federal government, including SRSA-eligible LEAs that apply
for an SRSA award, must maintain current entity information in the
System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is the Federal government's
primary registrant database and is managed by the General Services
Administration, not the Department. The UEI, a 12-character
alphanumeric code, is the primary means of entity identification for
Federal awards. An LEA without a UEI may not receive an SRSA award
until it has obtained and registered a UEI.
Electronic Submission of Applications Using <a href="http://Connect.gov">Connect.gov</a>
The Department will send an email with a unique application link to
each LEA that is eligible and estimated to receive a positive
allocation (i.e., an estimated amount greater than $0.00) for an FY
2026 SRSA grant award. The email will include detailed instructions for
completing the electronic application. The application is estimated to
take 30 minutes to complete.
An eligible LEA must submit an electronic application via
<a href="http://Connect.gov">Connect.gov</a> to be assured of receiving an FY 2026 SRSA grant award. The
Department may consider applications submitted after the deadline to
the extent practicable and contingent upon the availability of funding.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
If you are unable to submit an application by the due date, because
of technical issues, contact the Department by emailing <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#fe8c9b9f8ebe9b9ad0999188"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="186a7d7968587d7c367f776e">[email protected]</span></a>
within five business days of the application deadline and provide an
explanation of the technical problem you experienced. The late
application will be accepted as having met the deadline if the
Department can confirm that a technical issue occurred with the
<a href="http://Connect.gov">Connect.gov</a> system that affected your ability to submit the application
by the deadline. As noted above, if you submit the application after
the deadline and the late submission is not due to a technical issue
about which you have notified the Department, the Department may
consider your application to the extent practicable and contingent upon
the availability of funding.
V. Accessibility Information and Program Authority
Accessible Format: Upon request to the REAP Group Leader (using the
email or phone number provided in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section above), individuals with disabilities can obtain this document
and a copy of the application package in an accessible format. The
Department will provide the requestor with an accessible format that
may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive,
an MP3 file, braille, large print, audiotape, compact disc, or other
accessible format.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of
Federal Regulations at <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/">https://www.govinfo.gov/</a>. At this site you can
view this document, as well as all other Department documents published
in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To
use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
the site.
Program Authority: Sections 5211-5212 of the ESEA, 20 U.S.C. 7345-
7345a.
Kirsten Baesler,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2026-02186 Filed 2-2-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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