This report is the result of an investigation of the schools of Beaufort County, North Carolina, at the request of the county board of education, for the purpose of studying the possibilities for centralizing the schools of the county and of recommending a definite plan of procedure for school consolidation. No complete investigation of the quality of instruction given, course of study used, or other factors entering into a complete survey of the system was requested or made. The study contemplates only the desirability and feasibility of consolidating the schools. The committee had in mind in making the study three major questions: (1) Are present school conditions satisfactory or are school facilities, attendance, quality of instruction, and the like such that improvement of the kind usually brought about by centralization is desirable? (2) What are the possibilities for consolidation and can a sane county-wide plan be recommended for adoption? (3) Can the county be reasonably expected to finance a program such as agreed upon by the committee without undue financial strain or over-burdensome taxation? (Contains 6 tables and 7 footnotes.) [Best copy available is provided.]