Statistical information on all levels of public and private education in the United States are presented in 6 chapters, 14 figures, and 196 tables. The first chapter covers all educational levels. Chapters 2 and 3 review elementary and secondary education and college and university education, respectively, while the remaining three chapters look at adult and vocational education, federal programs for educational purposes, and special studies and statistics related to American education. The data refer chiefly to the 1970s and the first 2 years of the 1980s, but historical series are provided that go as far back as 1869. Among the variables covered are enrollment, schools and school districts, states, instructional levels, educational attainment, educational finance (including income, expenditures, and federal, state, and local funding), transportation, retention and dropout rates, educational achievement (using data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress), subject areas, special education, teachers and other staff, salaries, literacy, urban schools, student characteristics (race, age, sex, and socioeconomic status), preprimary education, vocational education, foreign educational statistics, federal outlays and programs, libraries, museums, educational television, and the general population's employment status, occupation, industry, and income. An index is included. (RW)