Attendance is strongly correlated with academic achievement and graduation rates. Students who miss school frequently are more likely to have lower test scores and drop out of high school. Dropping out is usually a gradual process that begins with disengagement from school as early as first grade. The three main factors influencing a student's decision to drop out are academic failure, social and economic issues, and lack of adult guidance. Poor attendance, grades, failure to be promoted, and classroom disengagement are key indicators that a student may drop out, and these signs can be identified as early as sixth grade. Schools should closely monitor attendance, especially for ninth graders, in the first month of school as missing just 10 days or more in the first