The author suggests that schools have considerable capacity to integrate their pupils into society, they may inadvertently push some students who are disruptive or truant towards a delinquent career. Research studies from the 1970s and 1980s on the links between disruptive behavior, truancy, and delinquency are surveyed. They illustrate that pupils who become in any way marginalized at school, whether in terms of behavior, academic status, or attachment to schools, are at risk of becoming delinquents. While schools do not directly influence students' propensity to delinquency, they may have a powerful indirect impact on whether young people are drawn to criminality. 27 references.