This quantitative correlational-predictive study addressed the predictive relationships of County Political Leaning (Republican vs. Democratic/reference) and Poverty of Student Population (operationalized as percentage of students enrolled in Free and Reduced Price Lunch programs) with Out-of-school Suspension in public high schools in California. The theoretical frame for this study was provided by James Buchanan's theory of public choice. The study sample included 53 public high schools from California, 16 from Democratic-leaning districts, and 47 from Republican-leaning counties. Archival data for the variables were obtained from the California Department of Education for 2021-2022 FRPL data and from the MIT Election Lab for the 2020 presidential election. The results of a standard multiple linear regression found that the model (including District Political Leaning and Poverty of Student Population considered together) significantly predicted Out-of-school Suspension, F(2, 50) = 3.432, p = 0.040, adj. R[superscript 2] = 0.121. Poverty of the Student Population considered individually was not a statistically significant predictor of Out-of-school Suspension (B = 0.003, [beta] = 0.004, t = 0.722, p = 0.474). County Political Leaning considered individually was found to be a statistically significant predictor of Out-of-school Suspension (B = 0.448, [beta] = 0.337, t = 2.538, p = 0.014). These results suggest that the political leaning of the community is reflected in the nonpartisan school board group, which creates discipline policies that are enforced by school administrators. Given major study limitations, these results cannot be considered generalizable and conclusive, but they justify further research with representative samples. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]