This study attempts to answer the following research question: What are the factors that prevent students from completing high school? The participants in this study included 228 current and recent students from General Educational Development (GED) programs across the state of Texas. In an effort to gain a clearer picture of circumstances faced by current high school students, only responses from participants in their teens or twenties were considered for the research concerning dropout factors. There were 158 respondents in this category. Data for this qualitative study were collected by means of surveys containing open-ended questions, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews. The significant findings of this study are as follows: (1) More than a quarter of the 158 participants in this study reported that pregnancy and parenting prevented them from graduating high school; (2) More than one-sixth reported that conflicts with school personnel as well as overall school dysfunction played a major part in preventing them from graduating high school; (3) Fifteen indicated that working too many hours prevented them from graduation; and (4) Many participants reported that losing high school credits due to moving from state to state was a significant factor preventing them from graduation. Implications of this study and recommendations for further research are provided.