A questionnaire responded to by 34 randomly selected Illinois school districts with high school enrollments under 500 provided information contradicting an Illinois State Board of Education report that cast doubt on the educational effectiveness of smaller schools. The questionnaire's first section sought information about each district's enrollment, operating expenses, tuition costs, salaries, numbers of 1985 graduates, and numbers of dropouts. Each district had one high school. Of the 34 schools, 11 had enrollments under 100, 11 had enrollments from 100 to 179, and 12 had enrollments from 180 to 484. Responses to the second part of the questionnaire concerned the curriculum and cocurricular activities. All schools surveyed exceeded state mandates in their course offerings. Twenty-three schools reported above average ACT Composite scores. The expenditures per student in the districts surveyed were below the state average, as were salaries. The students in smaller high schools, on the average, participate in many more extracurricular activities than do students from large high schools. The average dropout rate of the 34 schools was 2.4 percent, compared to a state average of 4.9 percent. The questionnaire's third part traced the activities of 1981 graduates, of whom 85.3 percent were employed or were continuing their education. (PGD)