According to Pew Research Center, urban counties grew at a national rate of about 13% between 2000 and 2018, whereas over half of the rural counties have fewer residents than in previous years. Urban areas have become home to an increasing number of people from rural areas. 

There are many differences between rural and urban areas, some including population and infrastructure. So, when moving from one to the other, it is to be expected for changes to arise. Junior Sophie Parker, having moved from a small town in Massachusetts in middle school, said the transition from rural to urban was more difficult than she expected. 

“The overall educational experience completely changes with the transition from rural to urban,” Parker said. “I lived in a place where the high school had 500 kids, Carmel has ten times that amount. It’s such a different atmosphere. Coming to Carmel, it feels impossible to know everyone.”

Director of Counseling Rachel Cole said there’s a process in place to make the transition easier for incoming students. 

“It’s a transition for anybody who comes to our school,” Cole said. “As part of our onboarding with enrollments is to help them process the size. And then we go through our conversation of four periods a day, three passing periods and other information.”

Junior Priscilla Smith said she’s had a wide-range of experiences in different learning settings.

“I’ve lived in a bunch of states, but the most rural place I lived was a small town in Oklahoma,” Smith said. “I was still able to form friendships and connections with people, even with moving to new places so often.”

Cole said forming connections after a move has been made easier with social media.

“Social media is the same there as it is here,” Cole said. “The internet keeps the new students more connected and allows for a more comfortable transition.”

Parker said the transition to an urban school was made easier once she bonded with her peers.

“Right after my move, I was able to make friends and find a sense of comfort in that,” Parker said. “Urban and rural schools are so different and that made the transition process much easier.”

Smith said a difference she saw between rural and urban schools was the availability of resources. 

“A lot of the population was poor so there were resources to help those people in the school,” Smith said.

While there may be resources available in rural schools, Parker said there was a shortage of opportunities.

“The lack of resources and opportunities in rural settings is very different from urban settings,” Parker said. “My old school didn’t have nearly as many class options or electives like languages. There were also fewer clubs and extracurriculars than Carmel has. It limits your opportunities.”

Cole said many new students have been shocked at the number of clubs and extracurriculars. 

“At Carmel, it can be overwhelming with all the opportunities,” Cole said. “We say ‘join a club’ and you go to our club list and there’s over 150 to choose from. That can be a little daunting.”

Smith said rural schools can be less overwhelming, especially with teachers who are able to help and guide you.

“Each student was able to have more attention from the teachers and help,” Smith said. “There was more of a connection and it felt more personalized to you.”

Parker said her education in rural schools felt more specialized to her needs.

“In a rural school, learning is more one-on-one because it’s a smaller student body,” Parker said. “It’s easier for teachers to connect to one of their students.”

Smith said while she found the smaller size to be a positive, it posed difficulties once the schools started expanding.

“We had two classes for each grade,” Smith said. “In all my other schools we’ve had at least six per grade level. Once our school started growing, we had to take classrooms outside. My fifth grade class was in a trailer.”

Parker said the more personalized learning experience in a rural school did not equate to more emphasis on education. 

“At Carmel, academic excellence is something people strive for,” Parker said. “Sometimes in rural areas, education is not as heavily emphasized, but other things like job success are. It’s just two different cultural values.”

Cole said many new students have trouble adjusting to the academic workload found at Carmel.

“Depending on where they came from, the academic practice of preparing for different courses might be a little different,” Cole said. “We talk to new students about handling more rigorous coursework than they’re used to.”

Smith said she was able to take more honors classes with rigorous work at the different urban schools she has attended. 

“Rural schools have less advanced courses than more urban schools, ” Smith said. “The rigor of the schools is much less compared to schools like Carmel.”

While less academic rigor may be considered a downside, Parker said the lack of diversity is the biggest disadvantage in rural schools.

“In rural areas, you won’t be able to reach out to as many different types of people,” Parker said. “You get stuck with the same group for your full academic career. Urban schools definitely have that advantage where you get to meet lots of different backgrounds, which can prepare you for life.”

Cole said it’s important to allow different cultures and perspectives to interact in all settings.

“We could all learn from each other cultural wise,” Cole said. “Diversity helps people know that although we’re different, we are alike. Everybody brings different backgrounds and perspectives and that’s clear in classroom collaboration and activities.”

It is clear that there are some similarities and stark differences between rural and urban learning settings. Parker said she doesn’t see an issue with the many differences between the two.

“Both rural and urban learning settings are very different and have their positives and negatives,” Parker said. “There’s a gap that doesn’t need to be bridged because it works for what they’re separately aiming to achieve.”