Eighty-one percent of Tennessee's public school principals responded to a survey of the physical conditions of their schools. Two sets of 12 criteria were developed, based on the responses, to distinguish adequate and substandard school plants. City systems had more adequate plants than county systems. Secondary and middle schools had more adequate plants than elementary schools. Categorized by size, organizational level, and type of system, medium-sized middle schools in city systems had the largest percentage of adequate plants. Using national enrollment standards, more than one-fourth of all Tennessee schools were too small to permit efficient operation, and one-third contained too many students. Recommendations included consolidation of some of the state's one-, two-, and three-teacher schools and subdivision of some of the largest schools. New construction to alleviate overcrowding and improved building maintenance were priority needs identified by principals. (Author/MLF)