This report examines current practices in defining, identifying, documenting, and tracking school dropouts in Ogden City School District (Utah), as well as demographic and personal characteristics of Ogden's high school dropouts. Data collection included a review of school and district records, interviews with administrators and staff, and telephone interviews with students identified by the school district as potential dropouts. Of the 722 students identified as potential dropouts, 123 students were interviewed and thus verified as dropouts. The majority of students dropped out during their junior and senior years, and slightly more than half of dropouts were female. While most students who dropped out were White, Hispanic students dropped out at a much higher rate in proportion to their enrollment. The most common reasons given for dropping out of school included academic failure, negative experiences with teachers and staff, personal problems, and negative experiences with other students or the school atmosphere. For Hispanic and low-income students, the perception of violence at school contributed greatly to their reasons for leaving school. More than half of students interviewed reported the desire to complete high school, and many expressed the desire for further education and training in order to fulfill career aspirations. The results suggest that students have multiple reasons for dropping out and that dropping out is a process. Recommendations are offered for improving administrative procedures to monitor student attendance; educational programming for at-risk students; the responsiveness of teachers and staff to student needs; and the schools' relationship with parents, the community, and other service agencies. Appendices include student interview protocol, summaries of attendance and tracking procedures for the district and individual high schools, and reasons for dropping out grouped by category. (LP)