The Austin Independent School District (AISD) in Austin, Texas defines a dropout as a student who leaves AISD and for whom there is no evidence that he/she is pursuing an education in another district or institution offering a high school diploma. All students who withdraw from AISD are initially considered dropouts. When a request for a transcript is received from another school or district, that student is reclassified as a transfer. Estimated dropout results were examined for the 1983-1984 and 1984-1985 school years. The results showed an estimated increase in the dropout rate of 1 percentage point between the 2 years, representing an increase of 10%. Black students showed a 5% decrease in dropout rate while Hispanics showed an 11% increase and Whites/Others showed a 15% increase. The preliminary rates for both males and females increased. In proportion to the total, a higher percentage of Whites/Others than of Blacks or Hispanics dropped out during the summer months. Blacks and Hispanics were comparatively more likely to drop out during the school year. Junior high school dropout rates were estimated for the first time in 1984-1985. The results are preliminary and may overestimate the number of dropouts: according to these preliminary figures, the rate for males and females was the same and the percentage for Hispanics was more than double the percentage for Blacks. (NB)