This study examines the situation of small rural schools in disadvantaged areas, structured around five main research questions: (1) how small schools can be defined conceptually and what their key characteristics are, (2) what structural and operational challenges they face, (3) how they are related to educational inequalities, (4) what community roles and functions they fulfil, and (5) what social policy directions and preservation arguments can be identified. The analysis was based on a systematic literature review carried outin 2025. From 2847 initial records, 127 relevant publications (89 international and 38 Hungarian) were included and analysed through thematic synthesis, covering both national and international databases. The findings indicate that small rural schools are not merely educational institutions but also key nodes of social capital, cultural identity, and economic viability in rural societies. At the same time, in disadvantaged regions, compositional effects and segregation processes amplify the reproduction of disadvantage, leading to the “equity trap” dilemma, access alone does not guarantee genuine equality of opportunity. The study concludes that the survival of small rural schools requires targeted social policy interventions that balance the need for access with the assurance of educational quality.