A report compares 30 small/rural K-12 school districts (900 students or fewer) in Illinois to 642 similar districts nationwide, using data from 1982-83. Qualifying districts were identified as 4,125 nationwide (26.4% of all public school districts) and 221 in Illinois (22.4%, enrolling 121,570 students). A questionnaire was mailed to superintendents of 36 randomly-selected Illinois districts and 816 randomly-selected districts nationwide, achieving respective response rates of 83.3% and 78.7%. A 3-page table compares data from the Illinois and national surveys in sections on the district, superintendent, teachers, student performance, and school programs. For example, rural districts are compared by average student enrollment (Illinois: 489, national: 436); average number of schools per district (2.1, 2.4); average student enrollment per school (258.7, 188.5); average geographical size of district in square miles (101, 245); percent of students bussed to school (60.3%, 64.4%); mean farthest one-way distance students are bussed, in miles (12.7, 19); percent of districts reporting receipt of state aid or funding for small school districts (0%, 24.2%); average dollar amount of last bond issue ($543,006, $716,000); percent of districts passing last bond issue (79.3%, 87.5%); and percent of districts reporting declining enrollments (50%, 36.2%). (MH)