This report presents information about selected characteristics and experiences of high school sophomores in 2002 who subsequently dropped out of school. It also presents comparative data about late high school dropouts in the years 1982, 1992, and 2004. Three data sources provide the information for the report: the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores (HS&B-So:80/92), the sophomore cohort of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), and the sophomore cohort of the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002). In each case, high school students were surveyed in the spring term of their sophomore year and then again 2 years later in the spring, when most of them were seniors. Dropouts are defined as sophomores who left school (and remained out of school) without receiving a regular diploma or earning a GED or equivalency credential by the spring 2 years later. All estimates have been weighted to represent the population of high school sophomores in each cohort, and the estimated standard errors account for the complex survey designs of these studies. All comparisons reported, unless explicitly noted, have met the criterion of statistical significance using a two-tailed Student's t test with an alpha level of 0.05. Adjustments for multiple comparisons were not included. The report is provided with the caution that the relationships between student characteristics and dropping out are purely correlational and do not indicate causality. This report is descriptive in nature, and the results are from bivariate comparisons that test for differences between groups defined by student characteristics and dropout status. Release of this descriptive report is intended to encourage more in-depth analyses of the relationship between these variables using more sophisticated statistical methods. Dropping out of high school is a major life event that severely impacts students' chances for subsequent educational and occupational opportunities. Even if dropouts obtain an equivalency credential, their ability to benefit from additional postsecondary options may be limited. Two appendixes are included; (A) Technical Notes and Glossary; and (B) Standard Error Tables. (Contains 9 footnotes, 3 figures and 51 tables. Appendix A is footnoted and referenced separately.)