STEM education helps prepare K-12 students for careers in STEM fields to enhance innovation and global competitiveness. About 10 million K-12 students were enrolled in public schools in rural areas in 2022, the most current year of data available. The August 2022 Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act includes a provision for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine issues related to rural STEM education. This report describes: (1) selected federal agencies' initiatives that support rural K-12 STEM education; (2) challenges selected recipients of federal funds and other stakeholders have reported related to supporting rural K-12 STEM education; and (3) approaches selected recipients of federal funds have found to be effective for supporting rural K-12 STEM education. To conduct this work, GAO examined federal initiatives that support rural K-12 STEM education at four agencies--the Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and National Science Foundation. GAO selected these agencies in part based on the number of K-12 STEM education initiatives they administered and their STEM education funding levels as of fiscal year 2022, the most recent year for which data were available when selected. GAO also visited rural school districts in four states--Alabama, Maine, Nevada, and South Dakota--selected to include a variety of geographic regions and rural district characteristics. GAO also interviewed stakeholders from national organizations and local employers in the four states and reviewed relevant federal laws and regulations.