Extracurricular activities have been known to provide students with learning opportunities not always provided in other traditional learning environments such as communication, leadership, problem-solving skills, and emotional awareness, and have shown benefits in improving student engagement and school attendance. These learning opportunities have been associated with improving graduation rates and lowering the percentage of dropouts. The students who benefit the most from access to extracurricular activities are students of color from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Using data from the California Department of Education, California Interscholastic Federation, and Create Ca, the purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the correlation between participation in extracurricular activities and graduation and dropout rates, focusing on Hispanic students from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. The study also used data collected from teachers' surveys. The teachers' reflections described how participation in extracurricular activities benefits students by teaching them soft skills associated with improved graduation and reduced dropout rates. [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.]