This dissertation investigated various aspects of the problems experienced by many Azorean immigrant children in the U.S., who, having reached an age when formal education is no longer legally compulsory for them, drop out of school. It focused on family values, possible influence of a language problem, relevancy of the educational process to these students and the role of peer pressure, seeking to determine how these factors affect the school-leaving problem. One hundred subjects for the study were selected, on a random basis, from Fall River, Massachussetts school system lists. Twenty were interviewed in depth and their responses content analyzed and the remainder were asked to complete a fixed alternative questionnaire on the topics under study. Conclusions supported by this research are: the major cause of school leaving among Portuguese immigrant children is parental pressure, due to economic reasons and also to the fact that parents see little value in formal education. Schools, however, are making a sincere and many sided effort to prevent dropping out. Language is not a major factor in early school leaving, especially because of the availability of bilingual education. Nor do testing and placement procedures affect school leaving. The influence of peer pressure is negligible. (Author/AM)