An extensive survey was conducted in 1965 by a team of white and Negro interviewers in an application of ecological theory to a study of the support relationship between the community and its school system. Findings are based upon interview data from a probability sample of 931 respondents selected from the population of persons 21 years of age and older living within the Detroit standard metropolitan statistical area. The study was conducted in all 94 school districts in the Detroit SMSA, including the Detroit district within the city proper and the 93 districts in the suburban areas adjacent to the city. The area's population is defined ecologically in relation to six concentric zones, based on a pattern of progressive deconcentration ranging from "inner city" to "outer suburban," with Negroes concentrated in the inner zones and whites concentrated in the suburban zones. Variables correlated with school support include zonal distribution by race, educational background, annual family income, length of residence, number of school-age children, and membership in voluntary associations. Analysis of data confirms the study's basic hypothesis that support for public schools varies in relationship to the distribution of social characteristics over urban space. (JK)