Composite statistical data was collected on the education in all the rural counties of the United States. Data were drawn from the findings of two major surveys conducted by the Office of Education as a part of its 1954-56 "Biennial Survey of Education in the United States": (1) the Rural County Survey covered multi-district counties--rural counties having more than one school district per county; and (2) the County Unit Survey covered single-district counties--rural counties having a single district per county. A total of 1,760 counties, or 57% of all the counties in the Nation, representing 44 states, were covered. Data were summarized for all rural counties, grouped both by degree of ruralness and by types of school organization (single-district or multi-district). Tabular data covered general statistics on counties, districts, pupils, staff, schools, etc.; the distribution by level of instruction; adult education, public summer schools, and junior colleges in rural counties; financial statistics collected by the two surveys; and the percentage of total enrollment in each grade (K-12). The data verified the fact that the small school was the dominant feature of rural education. Some highlights included: in 1955-56 the schools of rural counties enrolled 6,248,000 pupils, or approximately 20% of the Nation's total public school enrollment; 40% of the Nation's schools and 50% of all school districts were located in rural counties; and the more rural counties averaged fewer pupils and fewer teachers per school. (NQ)