West Virginia received two grants from the U.S. Department of Education to encourage disadvantaged youth to have high expectations, stay in school, and take academically rigorous courses to prepare for college. A total of 17 counties were served by these grants. As part of the program, surveys were completed by 3,716 students in 54 middle and junior high schools to gather baseline data on seventh-grade students' and parents' aspirations for students' postsecondary education. Of the students surveyed, 1,218 were classified as nonrural and 2,498 as rural. Findings indicate that families of nonrural students had a greater propensity toward and history of postsecondary education. Nonrural students participated more in clubs, while rural students participated more in sports. Nonrural students seemed more confident of their academic abilities than rural students. Nonrural students more often indicated that a parent helped them with homework, while rural students more often indicated that a classmate or friend helped them. Rural students were more likely to get information related to postsecondary education from a principal or guidance counselor and to discuss college entrance requirements, indicating that rural students were making plans for postsecondary education. However, students often failed to follow through on these ambitions. (Contains 16 references, 10 tables, and 2 figures.) (TD)