The research topics addressed in this study include the following: (1) reasons dropouts who immediately pursued a General Educational Development (GED) did not complete high school; (2) characteristics of the schools those GED examinees last attended; (3) differences in the reasons for not completing school by school characteristics; and (4) relationship between states with and without high-stakes exit exams (HSEEs) and reasons for dropping out. By identifying variability in reasons for dropping out across institutional and state characteristics, this study serves to introduce new information that may contribute to shaping educational interventions for at-risk students by providing information useful in identifying and serving at-risk communities and thereby encouraging students to complete high school. (Contains 10 tables.)