Whether the dropout rate is a good measure of a quality education is debatable. One could probably make a case that a high dropout rate is just as credible an indicator of a quality education program as a low dropout rate. As with any high-stakes measure of performance, those being evaluated scramble, sometimes frantically, for strategies that enable them to present themselves in the best possible light regarding the quality standards. The issue of dropout rates is especially problematic. This article discusses strategies on how districts and high schools can legitimately produce acceptable graduation rate numbers. The first step is to make the dropout rate a priority. Keeping kids in school and graduating them must be the mission of the adults in a school and the theme of the school's policies and practices. Another effective strategy for managing the dropout rate is to get the people who do the numbers, usually central office personnel, to talk to the people who know the dropouts, the front-line assistant principals and counselors. Home schooling should be maintained as an option for those students who--because of personal or family philosophies or situations, life problems, or unique conditions--cannot or will not fit into any setting provided by any educational organization. These strategies, when implemented in concert, should enable most schools to achieve their graduation rate standard.