Over 1.2 million students drop out of high school yearly in the United States. That is one student every 26 seconds or an overwhelming 7,000 a day. About 25% of first-year high school students fail to graduate from high school on time, making this issue a primary concern for educators and stakeholders. The problem addressed in this study was that students continued to drop out of school. Counselors are often apprehensive about making strong-meaningful partnerships with parents and students concerning the issue of high school dropouts. Accordingly, this qualitative case study aimed to explore high school dropout students and counselors' perspectives regarding the influence a counselor has on students at risk of dropping out before completing high school. This research addressed two core questions: What are high school students' perspectives on the influence a counselor has on students at risk of dropping out before graduating high school in Los Angeles? What are high school counselors' perspectives regarding the influence a counselor has on students at risk of dropping out prior to the completion of high school? The guiding framework for this study was social capital theory and socioeconomic theory. This research was necessary due to students leaving school prematurely, which impacts their future. The participants in the study were two counselors and 20 students attending a school in Southcentral Los Angeles. The participants were interviewed, and the responses were transcribed verbatim and examined independently using thematic analysis. The critical concerns among the participants included the lack of parental involvement in student learning, effective communication between students, parents, and counselors, and a positive school climate. The assessment of the research findings demonstrated the need to focus on increased collaboration between educational stakeholders, especially counselors and parents. There is a need to address the issue of high school dropouts and leverage professional development for in-service and pre-service counselor training to improve students' persistence and graduation rates. Future researchers may enhance the reliability and trustworthiness of their research by including additional participants from various schools. Further study should be conducted on individualized graduation plans in academic counseling sessions. [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.]