<PAGE> PAGE 1
000 B000000 11/30/96
000 C000000 771648
000 D000000 N
000 E000000 NF
000 F000000 Y
000 G000000 N
000 H000000 N
000 I000000 3.0.a
000 J000000 U
001 A000000 KEYSTONE TAX EXEMPT TRUST
001 B000000 811-4334
001 C000000 6173383200
002 A000000 200 BERKELEY STREET
002 B000000 BOSTON
002 C000000 MA
002 D010000 02116
002 D020000 5034
003 000000 N
004 000000 N
005 000000 N
006 000000 N
007 A000000 N
007 B000000 0
007 C010100 1
007 C010200 2
007 C010300 3
007 C010400 4
007 C010500 5
007 C010600 6
007 C010700 7
007 C010800 8
007 C010900 9
007 C011000 10
008 A000001 KEYSTONE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT COMPANY
008 B000001 A
008 C000001 801-8327
008 D010001 BOSTON
008 D020001 MA
008 D030001 02116
008 D040001 5034
010 A000001 FIRST UNION KEYSTONE, INC.
010 C010001 BOSTON
010 C020001 MA
010 C030001 02116
010 C040001 5034
011 A000001 EVERGREEN KEYSTONE INVESTMENT SERVICES, INC.
011 B000001 8-395
011 C010001 BOSTON
011 C020001 MA
011 C030001 02116
011 C040001 5034
<PAGE> PAGE 2
012 A000001 EVERGREEN KEYSTONE SERVICE COMPANY
012 B000001 84-1571
012 C010001 BOSTON
012 C020001 MA
012 C030001 02116
012 C040001 5034
013 A000001 KPMG PEAT MARWICK LLP
013 B010001 BOSTON
013 B020001 MA
013 B030001 02110
015 A000001 STATE STREET BANK & TRUST COMPANY
015 B000001 C
015 C010001 BOSTON
015 C020001 MA
015 C030001 02110
015 E010001 X
018 000000 Y
019 A000000 Y
019 B000000 16
019 C000000 KEYGROUPPA
020 A000001 LEHMAN BROTHERS, INC
020 B000001 13-2663822
020 C000001 16
020 A000002 MORGAN STANLEY
020 B000002 13-2655998
020 C000002 11
020 A000003 EVEREN CLEARING CORPORATION
020 C000003 10
020 A000004 WILLIAM E. SIMON
020 C000004 5
020 A000005 JOHN HANCOCK CLEARING COMPANY
020 B000005 04-2442399
020 C000005 2
020 C000006 0
020 C000007 0
020 C000008 0
020 C000009 0
020 C000010 0
021 000000 44
022 A000001 PAINE WEBBER, INC.
022 B000001 13-2638166
022 C000001 30350
022 D000001 35485
022 A000002 WILLIAM E. SIMON
022 C000002 15608
022 D000002 28481
022 A000003 SMITH BARNEY, INC.
022 B000003 13-1912900
022 C000003 17124
022 D000003 9713
022 A000004 JOHN HANCOCK CLEARING COMPANY
<PAGE> PAGE 3
022 B000004 04-2442399
022 C000004 12465
022 D000004 13489
022 A000005 MORGAN STANLEY & COMPANY, INC.
022 B000005 13-2655998
022 C000005 7464
022 D000005 5115
022 A000006 MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH
022 B000006 13-5674085
022 C000006 0
022 D000006 10432
022 A000007 LEHMAN BROTHERS, INC.
022 B000007 13-2663822
022 C000007 4928
022 D000007 4494
022 A000008 GOLDMAN SACHS
022 B000008 13-5108880
022 C000008 7345
022 D000008 1298
022 A000009 EVEREN CLEARING CORPORATION
022 C000009 3570
022 D000009 4322
022 A000010 J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES
022 B000010 13-3224016
022 C000010 0
022 D000010 7342
023 C000000 140085
023 D000000 173482
024 000000 N
026 A000000 Y
026 B000000 Y
026 C000000 N
026 D000000 Y
026 E000000 N
026 F000000 N
026 G010000 N
026 G020000 N
026 H000000 N
027 000000 Y
028 A010000 0
028 A020000 0
028 A030000 0
028 A040000 0
028 B010000 0
028 B020000 0
028 B030000 0
028 B040000 0
028 C010000 0
028 C020000 0
028 C030000 0
028 C040000 0
<PAGE> PAGE 4
028 D010000 0
028 D020000 0
028 D030000 0
028 D040000 0
028 E010000 0
028 E020000 0
028 E030000 0
028 E040000 0
028 F010000 0
028 F020000 0
028 F030000 0
028 F040000 0
028 G010000 0
028 G020000 0
028 G030000 0
028 G040000 0
028 H000000 0
034 000000 Y
035 000000 83
036 A000000 N
036 B000000 83
037 000000 N
038 000000 0
039 000000 N
040 000000 Y
041 000000 Y
042 A000000 0
042 B000000 0
042 C000000 100
042 D000000 0
042 E000000 0
042 F000000 0
042 G000000 0
042 H000000 0
043 000000 564
044 000000 0
045 000000 Y
046 000000 N
047 000000 N
048 000000 0.000
048 A010000 0
048 A020000 0.000
048 B010000 0
048 B020000 0.000
048 C010000 0
048 C020000 0.000
048 D010000 0
048 D020000 0.000
048 E010000 0
048 E020000 0.000
048 F010000 0
<PAGE> PAGE 5
048 F020000 0.000
048 G010000 0
048 G020000 0.000
048 H010000 0
048 H020000 0.000
048 I010000 0
048 I020000 0.000
048 J010000 0
048 J020000 0.000
048 K010000 0
048 K020000 0.000
049 000000 N
050 000000 Y
051 000000 N
052 000000 N
053 A000000 N
054 A000000 Y
054 B000000 N
054 C000000 N
054 D000000 N
054 E000000 N
054 F000000 N
054 G000000 N
054 H000000 Y
054 I000000 N
054 J000000 Y
054 K000000 N
054 L000000 N
054 M000000 Y
054 N000000 N
054 O000000 N
055 A000000 N
055 B000000 N
056 000000 N
057 000000 N
058 A000000 N
059 000000 Y
060 A000000 Y
060 B000000 Y
061 000000 10000
062 A000000 Y
062 B000000 0.0
062 C000000 0.0
062 D000000 0.0
062 E000000 0.0
062 F000000 0.0
062 G000000 0.0
062 H000000 0.0
062 I000000 0.0
062 J000000 0.0
062 K000000 0.0
<PAGE> PAGE 6
062 L000000 0.0
062 M000000 0.0
062 N000000 0.0
062 O000000 0.0
062 P000000 0.0
062 Q000000 0.0
062 R000000 0.0
063 A000000 0
063 B000000 0.0
064 A000000 N
064 B000000 N
066 A000000 N
067 000000 N
068 A000000 N
068 B000000 N
069 000000 N
070 A010000 Y
070 A020000 N
070 B010000 N
070 B020000 N
070 C010000 Y
070 C020000 N
070 D010000 N
070 D020000 N
070 E010000 Y
070 E020000 N
070 F010000 N
070 F020000 N
070 G010000 Y
070 G020000 N
070 H010000 N
070 H020000 N
070 I010000 N
070 I020000 N
070 J010000 Y
070 J020000 N
070 K010000 Y
070 K020000 N
070 L010000 N
070 L020000 N
070 M010000 Y
070 M020000 N
070 N010000 Y
070 N020000 N
070 O010000 Y
070 O020000 N
070 P010000 Y
070 P020000 N
070 Q010000 N
070 Q020000 N
070 R010000 Y
<PAGE> PAGE 7
070 R020000 N
071 A000000 68369
071 B000000 95829
071 C000000 658098
071 D000000 10
072 A000000 3
072 B000000 10295
072 C000000 0
072 D000000 0
072 E000000 0
072 F000000 814
072 G000000 0
072 H000000 0
072 I000000 167
072 J000000 57
072 K000000 0
072 L000000 8
072 M000000 13
072 N000000 46
072 O000000 0
072 P000000 0
072 Q000000 6
072 R000000 15
072 S000000 3
072 T000000 564
072 U000000 0
072 V000000 0
072 W000000 7
072 X000000 1700
072 Y000000 0
072 Z000000 8596
072AA000000 5645
072BB000000 0
072CC010000 0
072CC020000 9273
072DD010000 8536
072DD020000 0
072EE000000 0
073 A010000 0.1400
073 A020000 0.0000
073 B000000 0.0000
073 C000000 0.0000
074 A000000 0
074 B000000 0
074 C000000 0
074 D000000 0
074 E000000 0
074 F000000 0
074 G000000 0
074 H000000 0
074 I000000 0
<PAGE> PAGE 8
074 J000000 0
074 K000000 0
074 L000000 0
074 M000000 0
074 N000000 0
074 O000000 0
074 P000000 0
074 Q000000 0
074 R010000 0
074 R020000 0
074 R030000 0
074 R040000 0
074 S000000 0
074 T000000 0
074 U010000 0
074 U020000 0
074 V010000 0.00
074 V020000 0.00
074 W000000 0.0000
074 X000000 0
074 Y000000 0
075 A000000 0
075 B000000 677902
076 000000 0.00
077 A000000 Y
077 B000000 Y
077 C000000 N
077 D000000 N
077 E000000 N
077 F000000 N
077 G000000 N
077 H000000 N
077 I000000 N
077 J000000 N
077 K000000 N
077 L000000 N
077 M000000 N
077 N000000 N
077 O000000 N
077 P000000 N
077 Q010000 Y
077 Q020000 N
077 Q030000 N
078 000000 N
080 A000000 ICI MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY
080 B000000 FREDERICK JAMES
080 C000000 0
081 A000000 N
081 B000000 0
082 A000000 N
082 B000000 0
<PAGE> PAGE 9
083 A000000 N
083 B000000 0
084 A000000 N
084 B000000 0
085 A000000 N
086 A010000 0
086 A020000 0
086 B010000 0
086 B020000 0
086 C010000 0
086 C020000 0
086 D010000 0
086 D020000 0
086 E010000 0
086 E020000 0
086 F010000 0
086 F020000 0
SIGNATURE J. KEVIN KENELY
TITLE VP FUND ADMIN
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<ARTICLE> 6
<LEGEND>
THIS SCHEDULE CONTAINS SUMMARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION EXTRACTED FROM ACCOUNTING
RECORDS AND IS QUALIFIED IN ITS ENTIRETY BY REFERENCE TO SUCH ACCOUNTING
RECORDS.
</LEGEND>
<SERIES>
<NUMBER> 101
<NAME> KEYSTONE TAX EXEMPT TRUST CLASS A
<PERIOD-TYPE> 6-MOS
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> MAR-31-1996
<PERIOD-START> APR-01-1996
<PERIOD-END> MAR-31-1996
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 0
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 0
<RECEIVABLES> 0
<ASSETS-OTHER> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 0
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 0
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 0
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 0
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 0
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 0
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 0
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 0
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> 0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 0
<NET-ASSETS> 0
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 0
<INTEREST-INCOME> 10,295,317
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> (1,699,645)
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> 8,595,672
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> 5,644,907
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> (9,272,588)
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 4,967,991
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> (8,536,074)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 1,423,887
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> 65,131,179
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 445,191
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> (687,746,575)
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 0
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> (814,250)
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> (1,699,645)
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 677,902,440
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 10.87
<PER-SHARE-NII> 0.14
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> (0.06)
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> (0.14)
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> 0.00
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0.00
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 0.00
<EXPENSE-RATIO> 1.03
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0
</TABLE>