Using unique panel data from the Young Lives study on child poverty in the state of Andhra Pradhesh (before its division into Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), this paper seeks to explore the factors affecting the completion of secondary education. Logistic regression analysis reveals that there are a multitude of factors, cutting across the household, individual, educational and socio-demographic domains. The paper highlights the significance of children acquiring reading and writing skills in the early primary grades, having high selfefficacy and not participating in paid work before the age of 12. Gender continues to work as a barrier to secondary school completion for girls, and the findings suggest that educational policy must ensure that children, particularly girls and those living in rural loactions, are provided with a good-quality education right from pre-school, and through primary schooling and beyond. It is also important that children in primary school are not drawn into paid work, since this has a detrimental effect on long-term schooling – in this case secondary education completion.