This report provides annual information for the 1998-99 school year on grade-level retention in the Texas public school system, based on the Public Education Information Management System. Data on retention are provided by grade, ethnicity, gender, participation in special education, degree of English proficiency, and socioeconomic status. In 1998-99, 170,534 K-12 students were retained in grade for an overall retention rate of 4.7 percent. Grade 9 had the highest retention rate overall, and grade 1 had the highest retention rate at the elementary level. Males were retained at higher rates than females, across years and grade levels. Hispanic and African American students were retained at higher rates than white students. Economically disadvantaged students were retained at higher rates than students who were not economically disadvantaged. Districts in urban areas and charter schools had the highest retention rates. In 1998-99, retention rates were higher among districts and campuses with larger percentages of minority students and lower percentages of students passing the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills. Four appendixes, which make up the bulk of the report, present data on grade level retention by grade and ethnicity; grade level retention by district characteristic; grade level retention by campus characteristics; and grade level retention by district and grade. (SM)