During the school year 1969-1970 Quincy Public Schools in Massachusetts, a community of 90,000 adjacent to Boston, conducted an intensive investigation of all students leaving school for reasons other than transfer to another educational institution and death. Interviews with these students, their parents and an exhaustive analysis of school records constitute the sources of data. A control sample of non-leavers was randomly selected, matching only for grade and sex. Data was machine analyzed using univariate and multivariate techniques. It also includes a one year follow up of the school leavers focusing on their work adjustment, return to school adjustment, if any, and retrospective attitudes regarding their decision to leave school. Three recommendations resulted from the study: (1) expansion of vocational education options; (2) increase in instructional flexibility; and (3) guidance involvement with potential school leavers upon identification in elementary school. (Author/TA)