The purpose of this study was to examine the attrition rate of the African American high school student enrolled in advanced academics by looking at the effects of specific quantifiable variables on state-trait anxiety scores. More specifically, this study was concerned with the influence of demographic and school related factors on the state-trait anxiety scores of these students. The demographic factors selected were age, gender, income level of family, number of siblings, religious affiliation, student employment status and the marital status of parents. The selected school related factors were grade level, years in program, education level of parent, student involvement in extra-curricular activities, dropping courses, reasons for dropping courses, and recommendation of the program. The information gathered on student participants and the school district(s) were kept confidential. The population for this study was African American high school students enrolled in advanced academics in grades nine through twelve who attend school in a suburban city located in the southeast region of Texas. All participants completed the Watson Demographic Data Survey which asked for age, gender, grade level, years in program, education level of parent/guardian, number of siblings, employment status, extracurricular involvement, income level of family, marital status of parents and religious affiliation. Participants were then administered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The data analysis contained the examination of the fourteen null hypothesis tested in this study. Testing of the hypotheses was accomplished by using the parametric procedure of Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and Analysis of Covariance (ANOVA). All hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 significance level or better. There was one statistically significant difference found between the mean state-trait anxiety scores of the variable "students who have dropped a course" when MANOVA was computed. There was a statistically significance difference found between the mean trait anxiety scores of the variable "reasons for dropping" in the results of an ANOVA. A challenge that is faced by Academic Guidance Counselors is a continuous plight to ensure that all students are afforded the same educational opportunities that challenge them to accomplish goals they did not think they could attain; for it is this sort of preparation that is needed for post-secondary success. School counselors at the secondary level work hard to ensure that all students are enrolled in academically challenging, college preparatory course-work. At the conclusion of this study, the following implications are offered to counselors and other educators with regard to recruitment and retention of this group of students. First, African American students who enroll in advanced academics tend to remain in the program and are not experiencing significant levels of anxiety; therefore, students should be introduced to advanced academics as early as possible because there is a great probability that they will remain. Next, school counselors should conduct exit interviews and record the reasons student's give for exiting the program. A process should be put into place that collects data on students who decide to drop advanced academics. This data will allow educators to be proactive and implement a system to retain students and increase enrollment. Lastly, it was found that with increasing age fewer students remained enrolled in advanced academics. As the grade levels increased, enrollment decreased (i.e. promoting from ninth to twelfth and moving from Pre-AP to AP). As students get older they tend to take fewer Pre-AP/AP courses. Discussing with parents and students the importance of remaining in advanced academics, the benefits of taking the AP Exams, and the role that advanced academics plays in preparing students for higher education is the key. Increase parental awareness and include parents in on the decision making process regarding curricula to combat anxiety. In order to further extend the findings of this study, the researcher recommends conducting the same study on African American high school students in surrounding Texas cities (i.e. San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Houston, etc.). Or, explore state-trait anxiety levels for other variables such as peer-to-peer pressure, level of support from school personnel, and level of support at home. Lastly, conduct a longitudinal study that follows a ninth grade enrollee from high school through college to explore how advanced academics prepared him/her for college and how well the student performed in higher education. Also, reporting on the advanced academic individual's performance on state assessments as well as college entrance examinations. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]