Teacher retention continues to be an issue in rural school districts nationwide. The problem is teachers are leaving the profession within the first 5 years. While there is evidence to show a correlation between mentorships and teacher retention, there is a gap in the literature on effective teacher mentorship program experiences and rural teacher retention in an Arizona rural county. This study aimed to explore beliefs, opportunities for growth, and the perceived impact of a mentorship program resulting in teacher retention in the fifth year and beyond. Teacher development theory, mentor theory, and self-efficacy theory created the theoretical framework of this proposed basic qualitative study. Essential elements in an effective mentorship program, opportunities for growth, and deciding to remain in the profession were the three research topics that guided this study. Purposeful sampling of rural school district teachers provided the pool of participants. Rural teachers identified as fifth-year teachers and beyond participated in semi-structured interviews. Identification of teachers with a minimum of 5 years' experience took part initially in a survey followed by interview data collected from 15 teachers over 7 months. Six central themes materialized from research findings: (a) mentoring/coaching, (b) classroom procedures, (c) professional growth, (d) emotional growth, (e) coaching, and (f) teamwork. Recommendations included partnering with other rural districts to create a continuum of mentoring. Implications included modifying current state policies to include funding mentoring programs in rural schools. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]