DEMOGRAPHIC CORRELATES OF EDUCATIONAL PERFORMANCE LEVELS WERE EXAMINED BY COUNTY IN THE 11 EX-CONFEDERATE SOUTHERN STATES TO FIND OUT WHETHER THE SAME VARIABLES PREDICT PERFORMANCE FOR BOTH NEGRO AND WHITE STUDENTS IN THE SAME WAY. DATA WERE DERIVED MAINLY FROM U.S. CENSUS REPORTS AND FROM MATERIALS OF STATE AND LOCAL DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION. PERFORMANCE MEASURES USED WERE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE RATES, AGE-GRADE RETARDATION RATES, DROPOUT RATES, AND COLLEGE ENTRANCE RATES. A WIDE RANGE OF POSSIBLE PREDICTOR VARIABLES WAS EXAMINED. DATA WERE ANALYZED FOR EACH STATE SEPARATELY AND THEN SUMMARIZED FOR THE ENTIRE REGION. THE BEST PREDICTORS OF THE LEVEL OF ABSOLUTE NEGRO AND WHITE PERFORMANCE WERE FOUND TO BE (1) "INTRARACE MEDIAN ADULT EDUCATION," (2) "PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE," AND (3)"POPULATION PER HOUSEHOLD.""MEDIAN EDUCATION,""EXPENDITURES," AND "PERCENTAGE IN AGRICULTURE" RANKED HIGH AS PREDICTORS OF THE RELATIVE PERFORMANCE OF NEGROES (COMPUTED AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE WHITE PERFORMANCE LEVEL). WITHOUT CONTROLS, "PERCENTAGE NEGRO" WAS ANOTHER GOOD PREDICTOR OF BOTH WHITE PERFORMANCE RATES (POSITIVELY RELATED) AND NEGRO RATES (NEGATIVELY RELATED). POOR PREDICTORS OF PERFORMANCE WERE (1) "PERCENTAGE URBAN" AND "POPULATION CHANGE," (2) "MEDIAN INCOME," AND (3) "FREQUENCY OF RACIAL VIOLENCE." POSSIBLE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS WERE DISCUSSED. RELATED INFORMATION MAY BE FOUND IN ED 010 838. (JH)