Variables examined in the study included individual attributes, family background, school commitment, goal commitment, academic integration, social integration, needs accommodation, expectation versus reality, and intention. The results of the study indicate that curriculum was not, as previously believed, the primary factor in students' decisions to leave school, but was one of a number of interrelated factors that influenced their perception of the value of continued study. These interrelated factors included student commitment to goals and to school, and student social life at school. Schools need to offer sports, extracurricular activities, peer support programs, and open sharing of information in order to provide the appropriate environment in which students needs can be met. 1 table, 1 figure, and 11 references