Thanks are due to Steve Owens and Michael Freeman from the Census Bureau for the creation and production of the tables. Allison Pinckney from Pinkerton Computer Consultants created the Figure. Special thanks go to Lee Hoffman, Frank Johnson, and John Sietsema who provided very thoughtful reviews of early drafts.

The author gratefully acknowledges the comments and suggestions of the reviewers. Reviewers from outside the Department of Education include: Cherry Kugle and Melinda Fowler from the Texas Education Agency, Annette Barwick from Hillsborough County School District in Florida, and Sharon Lewis and Adriane Williams from the Council of Great City Schools. Reviewers from the Department of Education include: Michael Cohen, Kerry Gruber, Andy Kolstad, Marilyn McMillen, and Tom Snyder from NCES and the Offices of Civil Rights and the Under Secretary/Budget Services.

This is the ninth in the current series of reports on the largest school districts in the Nation. The most recently previously published report is Characteristics of the 100 Largest Public School Districts in the United States: 1995-96, which was published in July 1998. Copies of both reports are available from the Institute of Education Sciences by calling, toll-free, 1-877-4ED-PUBS.