Shifts in residential and racial distributions of school-age children and public school teachers in rural areas of the state of Louisiana are analyzed to provide an increase in information available concerning those areas. Impetus for the study was provided by a trend on the part of researchers to concentrate on urban phenomenon to the neglect or avoidance of rural developments. Summary data compiled from the U.S. Census of 1950, 1960, and 1970 are presented on rural and urban populations for those periods, on the school-age population (seven to seventeen years of age) and on the school-age population actually enrolled in school. Data are presented on teacher training and teacher experience levels for the schools in rural and urban parishes, and--with few exceptions--are categorized by both residence and race. Selected findings are presented and discussed, including trends in rural-urban/urban-rural migration, occupational status, urbanization, racial distribution, school-age population, employment patterns, teacher educational levels, and teacher experience levels. (MB)