POPULATION TRENDS, DEFINED AS DISTRIBUTION, COMPOSITION, AND CHANGES IN NUMBERS WERE DETERMINED IN THIS DOCUMENT FOR THE STATE OF LOUISIANA. DATA WERE GATHERED FROM PUBLICATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF THE CENSUS, THE LOUISIANA STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, AND QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES OF HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS AND SENIORS IN SELECTED SAMPLE SCHOOLS. THE EFFECT OF RURAL POPULATION TRENDS ON RURAL EDUCATION WAS EMPHASIZED. CURRICULUMS OF RURAL SCHOOLS AND QUALIFICATIONS OF RURAL SCHOOL TEACHERS WERE DISCUSSED. ALSO INCLUDED WAS A 1959 CASE STUDY OF RURAL SCHOOLS IN A FRENCH CULTURE PARISH AND A NONFRENCH CULTURE PARISH. THE DOCUMENT CONCLUDED THAT (1) DEFICITS IN THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION AND THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL TEACHERS AND CLASSROOMS WOULD NOT BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM OF LOUISIANA RURAL SCHOOLS IN THE NEAR FUTURE, (2) SCHOOL ATTENDANCE WAS NO LONGER A PROBLEM, (3) RURAL SCHOOLS WERE NOT SERVING A POPULATION THAT WAS PLANNING FOR CAREERS IN AGRICULTURE, AND (4) FAMILIARITY WITH RAPID CHANGING POPULATION AND SOCIOCULTURAL PATTERNS WAS NECESSARY FOR PERSONS CONCERNED WITH RURAL EDUCATION PLANNING. (FS)