A STUDY OF NIGHT SCHOOL STAYINS AND DROPOUTS (PERSONS WHO MISSED CONSECUTIVE CLASSES) USED A RANDOMLY SELECTED SAMPLE OF 240 STAYINS AND 243 DROPOUTS FROM THE METROPOLITAN TORONTO (ONTARIO) BOARD OF EDUCATION EVENING CLASSES. INTERVIEWS WERE GUIDED BY QUESTIONNAIRES BUILT TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE FINDINGS OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH. BOTH CODING CATEGORIES AND OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS WERE USED. IT WAS FOUND THAT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN STAYINS AND DROPOUTS WERE NOT WELL ENOUGH DEFINED TO BE USED IN SELECTION PROCEDURES. THE DROPOUT WAS MORE LIEKLY TO BE YOUNGER, UNMARRIED OR WIDOWED, LIVE ALONE OR WITH HIS PARENTS, ENGAGED IN CLERICAL OCCUPATIONS, AND WAS MOST OFTEN FOUND IN LANGUAGE, COMMERCIAL, AND CLERICAL COURSES. THE LARGEST DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE RESPONSES OF DROPOUTS AND STAYINS SEEMED TO OCCUR IN MATTERS INVOLVING THE RESPONDENT PERSONALLY--WHETHER HE FELT AT HOME IN THE CLASS, WHETHER HE GOT TO KNOW MANY STUDENTS, AND WHETHER HE FOUND THE COURSE INTERESTING OR USEFUL. THERE WAS A MARKED TENDENCY FOR STAYINS' FRIENDS TO BE STAYINS AND DROPOUTS' FRIENDS TO BE DROPOUTS. IN LARGE MEASURE, DROPOUTS WERE TAKING NIGHT SCHOOL COURSES FOR THE FIRST TIME. (THE DOCUMENT INCLUDES REFERENCES, 34 TABLES, LISTS OF CODING CATEGORIES, AND THE QUESTIONNAIRES.) (AJ)