Formerly published in "Statistics of Public Elementary and Secondary School Systems," the information presented here on the 20 largest cities (by population size) comes from the 27th annual survey of public schools, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. Data are presented in eight tables and three graphs, covering number of schools, number of pupils, full- and part-time staff (professional, nonprofessional, and administrative), teachers, pupil-teacher ratios, and number of days in session. Most data are broken down by educational level or grade, and historical data are provided on some factors back to 1976. The survey reveals continuing declines in numbers of pupils, staff, schools, and teachers. The pupil-teacher ratio also declined from fall 1979. An appendix describes the annual survey's nature and methods. (RW)