The 26th annual survey of public elementary and secondary education conducted in fall 1979 by the National Center for Education Statistics yielded data on school districts, enrollment, administrative and teaching staffs, pupil-teacher ratios, high school completions (graduations and equivalency certificates), revenue sources, and expenditures, including per-pupil spending. The 24 tables and two graphs presented here cover all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Marianas, and the nation's 20 largest cities. Historical information provides data on some factors back to 1975. The survey reveals declines in total enrollment, in numbers of schools and school districts, and in teachers' real incomes. The number of teachers and of high school completions did not change but the cost per pupil of public education, in current dollars, rose slightly. An appendix describes the nature and conduct of the annual survey. (Author/RW)