The majority of rural students attend school in a state where they make up less than 25 percent of public school enrollment. More than one rural student in four lives in states where rural students constitute less than 15 percent of overall enrollment. "Why Rural Matters 2018-19: The Time Is Now," shows that nearly 7.5 million public school students were enrolled in rural school districts during the 2016-17 school year--or nearly one of every seven students across the country. The number is even larger when counting students who attend rural schools, including rural schools within districts classified as "non-rural." By this measure, more than 9.3 million--or nearly one in five students in the U.S.--attend a rural school. This means that more students in the U.S. attend rural schools than in the nation's 85 largest school districts combined. This report uses five "gauges" to describe the condition of rural education in each state: (1) the "Importance" of rural education; (2) the "Diversity" of rural students and their families; (3) the "Educational Policy Context" impacting rural schools and communities; (4) the "Educational Outcomes" for rural students; and (5) the "College Readiness" of students in rural schools. Each gauge includes five equally weighted indicators. The higher ranking of a state, the more important or urgent rural education matters are for that particular state. It combines the five average gauge rankings to determine an overall average ranking, the Rural Education Priority ranking. [This report was written in consultation with Robert Mahaffey and Alan Richard. For the 2015-2016 report, see ED590169.]