The 1990 High School Transcript Study (HSTS) collected 21,607 transcripts from 330 schools. Similar studies were conducted of high school course taking patterns in 1987 (the 1987 High School Transcript Study of approximately 22,700 transcripts) and in 1982 (approximately 12,000 transcripts from the High School and Beyond Study). The introductory section of this report contains highlights of the results, descriptions of all three studies, an introduction to the tables of data, a discussion of the significance of differences reported in the tables, and the comparability of samples. Seventy-nine data tables document significant, across-the-board increases in the percentage of graduates taking core curriculum degree programs since 1987. The percentage of graduates taking at least a minimal academic program rose from 13.4 percent in 1982 to 28.6 percent in 1987 and 39.9 percent in 1990. The percentage of graduates taking the core curriculum rose from 1.9 percent in 1982 to 12.0 percent in 1987 and 17.3 percent in 1990. Appendix A provides the 79 data tables. Appendix B lists codes for within subject categories. (SLD)