This report is the third in a series from the Center for Promise (CfP) about how society can better support young people in graduating from high school and transitioning to college and careers. The author synthesizes the research conducted by CfP over the past five years that has delved into the lives of young people in the US who have left school without graduating or who are disconnected from the workforce. Through its research, CfP has sought to combine systematic, social science methodologies and analysis with the authentic voices of young people to provide a more accurate depiction of who “those” young people are and what they can achieve. (author abstract modified)