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The 1965 status of secondary education in 11 southern states is analyzed in terms of school size, personnel, professional qualifications, and working conditions. Financial data relate per pupil expenditures in both rural and urban schools in each state. Information is provided concerning curriculum trends, innovations, and progressive school programs under way in southern high schools. Findings include: (1) nearly all teachers in the South hold a bachelor's degree and 25 percent hold a master's degree or above; (2) more than 50 percent of all high school classes in each of the 11 states can be classified as either too small or too large; and (3) the majority of southern high school youth attend schools which offer an inadequate program of courses. A major conclusion is that the prevalence of small high schools constitutes the most serious obstacle to quality education and equal educational opportunity in southern secondary schools. Recommendations are directed at correcting specific shortcomings in the educational establishment in the South. A comprehensive bibliography of related publications is included. (DA)