THE PROBABILITIES OF BEING IN SCHOOL AT EACH AGE, FOR ALL MALE CHILDREN AND FOR CHILDREN FROM FAMILIES WITH LOW INCOMES, ARE PRESENTED IN TABULAR FORM FROM FIGURES OBTAINED FROM "THE UNITED STATES CENSUS OF POPULATION 1960--SCHOOL ENROLLMENT." ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT STUDENTS FROM LOW-INCOME FAMILIES HAVE A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER TENDENCY TO REMAIN IN SCHOOL. FURTHER ANALYSIS OF AGE-SPECIFIC PROFILES IS NEEDED TO INDICATE THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE DIFFERENCE IS DUE TO INCOME FACTORS ALONE, OR TO FACTORS HIGHLY CORRELATED WITH INCOME. THE POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVING GRADE PROGRESSION BY PROGRAMS ACTING ON CHILDREN OF LOW-INCOME FAMILIES IS INDICATED. EXAMINATION OF THE DATA LEADS TO THE FOLLOWING TENTATIVE HYPOTHESES--(1) DROPOUT IS MORE A FUNCTION OF PARENTAL EDUCATION THAN OF FAMILY INCOME, (2) DROPOUT RATES ARE HIGHER FOR RURAL THAN FOR URBAN CHILDREN, (3) THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DROPOUT RATES OF WHITE AND NONWHITE CHILDREN FOR ANY GIVEN LEVEL OF PERMANENT FAMILY INCOME AND PARENTAL EDUCATION, (4) POSITIVE CORRELATION EXISTS BETWEEN DROPOUT RATES AND THE TENDENCY TO BE BELOW MODAL GRADE, (5) THERE IS A HIGH NEGATIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN FAMILY INCOME LEVEL AND THE PUPIL BEING BELOW MODAL GRADE FOR HIS AGE GROUP, AND (6) BEING BELOW MODAL GRADE IS A FUNCTION OF PARENTAL EDUCATION. (SK)