This study, which examined the demographic and educational characteristics of students who leave school before completing the twelfth grade, aimed to identify descriptive and predictive data on the potential school dropout in the Pasco School District of Washington State. The project was conducted as an initial step toward developing a data collection system that would provide dropout profiles to help identify "at risk" students before they leave school. A sample of ninth and tenth grade dropouts was identified and information on them was collected from school records and through interviews with the subjects. Among the dropout characteristics examined were sex, race/ethnic background, academic achievement, parents' educational attainment, family size, number of schools attended, incidence of grade repetition and school suspension, participation in extracurricular activities, and reasons for leaving school. The study recommended that record keeping in the school district be made more systematic, that computerized storage of information be considered as an alternative, that additional variables be studied, and that research on programs to prevent dropping out from Pasco schools be conducted when a dropout profile is identified from the data. Appendices to the report include data collected in the pilot study, a sample of the interview format, and a sample interview guide. (MJL)