High school drop-out has been a source of worry to parents, students and government for over three decades. The idea of promoting teachers whose students passed more was muted in order to reduce High School Drop-out Rate (HSDR) and this situation has long been highly abused. A 60-item validated questionnaire (constituting key predictor factors for opinion rating) was distributed to students and teachers in institutions of higher learning in Bayelsa State of Nigeria, with a view to establishing male, female, teacher, and student opinions as to what factors impact more on HSDR and how they affect the economy. Implications of findings were utilized in proffering recommendations and a conscious effort to address risk factors in Nigerian education.