This study examines regional inequality in China's educational development, focusing on urban-rural disparities. It finds that rural educational development levels (EDL) surpassed urban EDL in 2013, with urban/rural EDL increasing from 0.29 to 0.50 between 2003 and 2019, while the urban-rural educational inequality index (EII) decreased from 1.31 to 0.92. Spatially, urban/rural EDL in the eastern and northeastern regions is higher than in the central and western regions, while the urban-rural EII is lower in these regions. The CV and Theil index show that regional disparities in urban/rural EDL have been narrowing, and regional inequality in EII has also been declining. The decomposition of the Theil index indicates that these decreases in inequality are mainly due to the reduction of the urban/rural educational development gap within regions. The main reasons for the evolution of regional inequality in China's urban and rural educational development include large-scale population migration driven by rapid industrialization and urbanization, and the adjustment of urban-rural and regional relationships promoted by policies such as the regional coordinated development strategy and hukou system reform. The study also discusses the mechanisms behind regional inequality in China's urban and rural educational development, including the urban-rural dual structure, the hukou system, and the impact of industrialization and urbanization. The study concludes that China's urban-rural educational inequality has been narrowing, and that further optimization of educational resource allocation, promotion of "Internet + education," improvement of twinning support mechanisms, and deepening of hukou system reform are necessary to promote coordinated urban-rural education development. The study also provides policy implications for reducing global educational inequality, emphasizing the importance of industrialization, urbanization, and South-South and North-South cooperation in education.This study examines regional inequality in China's educational development, focusing on urban-rural disparities. It finds that rural educational development levels (EDL) surpassed urban EDL in 2013, with urban/rural EDL increasing from 0.29 to 0.50 between 2003 and 2019, while the urban-rural educational inequality index (EII) decreased from 1.31 to 0.92. Spatially, urban/rural EDL in the eastern and northeastern regions is higher than in the central and western regions, while the urban-rural EII is lower in these regions. The CV and Theil index show that regional disparities in urban/rural EDL have been narrowing, and regional inequality in EII has also been declining. The decomposition of the Theil index indicates that these decreases in inequality are mainly due to the reduction of the urban/rural educational development gap within regions. The main reasons for the evolution of regional inequality in China's urban and rural educational development include large-scale population migration driven by rapid industrialization and urbanization, and the adjustment of urban-rural and regional relationships promoted by policies such as the regional coordinated development strategy and hukou system reform. The study also discusses the mechanisms behind regional inequality in China's urban and rural educational development, including the urban-rural dual structure, the hukou system, and the impact of industrialization and urbanization. The study concludes that China's urban-rural educational inequality has been narrowing, and that further optimization of educational resource allocation, promotion of "Internet + education," improvement of twinning support mechanisms, and deepening of hukou system reform are necessary to promote coordinated urban-rural education development. The study also provides policy implications for reducing global educational inequality, emphasizing the importance of industrialization, urbanization, and South-South and North-South cooperation in education.