The persistence of dropouts among female students in public secondary schools inSongea Municipal necessitates an investigation of strategies used by the School Management Team (SMT) in identifyingthe warning signs of female students who are in danger of dropping out. The study explored the commitment and approachability of the SMT in recognizing the warning signs that lead to female students’ dropout. The study employed a case study design and a qualitative approach to collect data from 18 purposively selected respondents. Through in-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and Document searches both primary and secondary data were collected.The findings indicated that SMT applied the school-setting, home-setting, and student-related factors to get the required information. However, it was also found that SMT faces difficulties when recognizing the indicators of female student attrition. It was found that Lack of training, detrimental cultural practices from the community surrounding the school, and insufficient funding from the government contributed to females dropping out of school. Therefore, it is recommended for the government and other stakeholders strongly come together to get rid of all the challenges facing SMT during the identification of warning signs of female students’ dropout.

Keywords: School Management Team, Warning Signs, female students’ dropout, public secondary schools