Act 49 of 1987 requires the Secretary of Education to provide the General Assembly with an annual report on public school dropouts in Pennsylvania. The purpose of this report is to document the actual number of students who drop out each year and to provide various characteristics about these students. The type of data collected about each dropout consists of the reason for dropping out, race, gender, age, grade, academic program, post-dropout activity and whether the dropout was classified as any of the following: economically disadvantaged, migrant, English language learner or special education. The term "dropout," as used in this publication, refers to a student who, for any reason except death, leaves school before graduation without transferring to another school/institution. This report also details information about students who are enrolled in state-funded dropout prevention programs. Specific characteristics and data about these students and an evaluation of the overall success of these programs are also provided. The focus of this report is school year 2003-04. Specifically, it includes information on all students who dropped out during the 12-month period from October 1, 2003, to September 30, 2004. This report also provides details about the Successful Students' Partnership (SSP) and the related Education Mentoring Initiative for the 2003-04 school year. [This document was produced by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Division of Data Services.]