Chapter 2 of the Biennial Survey of Education in the United States reports on the most fundamental and the largest segment of the educational system in the United States--the public elementary and secondary schools. Data on the organization, staffing, enrollment, and financing of regular full-time public elementary and secondary day schools in the States, the District of Columbia, and the outlying parts of the United States for the school year 1957-58 are provided. A number of tables also give historical data for earlier years--in some cases going back as far as 1869-70. Included in this chapter also are data on the number of full-time nonpublic day schools and on their enrollment and instructional staff. Included for the first time are enrollment data, by state, on demonstration, model, and training schools attached to teachers' colleges or universities. National (but not state) enrollment figures are given for the following types of schools: (1) Federally-operated schools on Federal installations; (2) Federal schools for Indians; and (3) residential schools for exceptional children. Initial tables provide a historical summary of public school statistics; and data on school administrative units and state, local, and regional education agencies. Subsequent tables provide data on a state-by-state basis on the number of school systems, the school age population, enrollment, average daily attendance, high school graduates, instructional staff, and the school lunch program. Concluding tables present data on financing public elementary and secondary school systems, including revenue and nonrevenue receipts for public schools, total expenditures, current expenditures, capital outlays, interest on school debt, status of school bonds, value of school property, average annual salary of instructional staff, and expenditures per pupil.