The study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand this week, said the results showed lower university entrance attainment for students attending rural high schools than those attending urban high schools.
The study found the difference between rural and urban outcomes was about 15%, and lower decile schools were also more likely to be in rural areas.
There was also lower attainment for regional high schools, but these differences were less pronounced.
Roxburgh Area School principal Paul McDowall said studies such as this did not tell the whole story for rural schools.
"University entrance is only one measure of achievement.
"For many of our students, they go into trades or other forms of employment or training before they leave school. Very few leave with nowhere to go."
Mr McDowall said for some subjects for university entrance level, the school had to use resources such as online learning tools from NetNZ.
"It’s our way of offering the full range of subjects," he said.
"In fact, I’ve heard from universities that a lot of students from rural schools have been better prepared when they arrive at university, because they’re more independent and resilient."
Mr McDowall said all three of its Year 13 pupils were studying for university entrance.
"Because we know the kids so well, we are able to work with them along their individual pathways," he said.
Study co-author Prof Garry Nixon, from University of Otago division of health sciences, said he understood some of the principal’s concerns.
"The university is increasingly seeing the issue as an equity one," Prof Nixon said.
"Kids from those rural areas might not have the same opportunity to go into subjects such as health and medicine because they don’t see it as a possibility for them."
Prof Nixon said there had been initiatives from organisations such as Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network which had helped encourage more rural pupils into careers in the health sector.
"They get health professional students to go into those rural high schools and talk to the senior pupils there about the opportunities in rural health," he said.
"That’s precisely as a means of getting rid of some of those barriers."
University initiatives such as the rural admissions scheme were also important, Prof Nixon said.
The study said although non-school factors were likely important, it found particular school characteristics influenced rural students’ educational outcomes.
"To address regional and rural medical workforce issues, admission pathways need to undergo a fundamental shift–from workforce pathways to workforce and equity pathways," the study said.
"This is required in order to account for the educational inequities experienced by rural students and, to a lesser degree, regional students."
