This dissertation investigates the complex phenomenon of high school dropouts and the social factors that contributed to them making that decision. The research included interviewing six high school dropouts, whose ages ranged from 35-45, all of whom were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. Each interview was conducted in person, in a neutral space. The data retrieved from this dissertation were written in narrative form, based on the lived experiences of the participants throughout their adolescent and young adulthood stages of life, with the focus being on their time as a student in high school. During these interviews, four major themes surfaced from the qualitative interviews of the participants. These study findings revealed that students who dropped out of high school made that decision for more reasons than the schoolwork getting too hard for them. Furthermore, this research determined that the social factors that caused these high schoolers to drop out have a lot more to do with the amount of trauma a student is exposed to, along with their family's finances, family's education level, and their overall social influences. [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.]