New information on the characteristics of elementary school principals is included in the most recent Schools and Staffing Survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. The results show that the number of public elementary school principals grew from 54,000 in 1993-1994 to 61,000 in 2003-2004. This roughly corresponds to the increase of about 6,000 public elementary schools during this time period, although some principals manage more than one school. About 31,000 of these public elementary school principals worked in schools in suburban areas, 17,000 in urban areas, and 14,000 in rural areas. The results also show that today's elementary school principals are more experienced, older, and better-educated than ever. While public elementary school principals generally reported lower levels of crime and misbehavior in their schools than secondary school principals, significant percentages reported some types of problems such as physical conflicts among students, student bullying, student acts of disrespect, and students and family issues. (Contains 5 figures.)