In 1982-83, the State of Washington's 299 public school districts (K-12) educated more than 738,000 students; over 70% of these school districts enrolled fewer than 2,000 students and 40% enrolled fewer than 500 students. The small school (fewer than 500 students) graduation rate of 92.6% was 10.6% higher than the statewide average of 82%. Nine school districts (Dayton, Dixie, Kahlotus, Pomeroy, Prescott, Star, Starbuck, Touchet, and Waitsburg) from the Eastern Washington counties of Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, and Walla Walla, which comprise the Blue Mountain Small Schools Consortium (BMSSC), had a 1983 graduation rate (98%) that was 16% higher than the statewide average. If Washington's graduation rate could have been increased to match that of BMSSC schools, 8,720 more students would have obtained a high school diploma. BMSSC's dropout rate for 1983 was 2.5% or 3.76% less than the statewide 6.26% dropout rate. If the state's dropout rate could have been reduced to the BMSSC rate, 8,746 students would have remained in school. (NEC)