This report is based on the second survey in the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 series (NELS:88). Data are from a questionnaire administered to 20,706 tenth graders and dropouts in 1990. The study design resulted in a sample representative of tenth graders across the country. The wealth of NELS:88 data makes it difficult to organize and summarize the findings. Overall, the main variables examined (ethnicity, socioeconomic status, family type, sex of student, urbanicity, region, and former 4-H participation) showed little difference for more than three-fourths of the items examined. Ethnicity and family type were the two variables showing the most difference, followed by socioeconomic status. The differences found among tenth graders, while sometimes substantial, were rarely traceable primarily to a demographic characteristic. Areas of concern are: (1) the percent of tenth graders with high occupational aspirations whose educational programs were not consistent with their expectations; (2) the percent using substances; and (3) the percent who had difficulty with the tests included in the study. (SLD)