A study examined legal and ethical considerations used by school administrators in decision making. A national survey of 306 elementary and secondary principals and district superintendents yielded 226 responses. The survey instrument examined administrators' ability to make ethical and legal decisions and described their reported decision-making patterns in conflicting legal/ethical situations. Findings indicate that administrators made appropriate ethical and legal decisions when issues were distinct and made appropriate ethical decisions more often than they did legal decisions. In situations of ethical/legal conflict, an ethical but illegal decision-making pattern emerged. Administrative level was also a factor--secondary principals chose ethical/illegal options more frequently than did their elementary counterparts. In administrative preparation programs students usually engage in preparatory courses in law but not in ethics. This paper suggests that a focus on ethics would be an added dimension that could strengthen administrative preparation nationwide. Five tables are included. (21 references) (LMI)