Streptococcal “infection” in children may be presumed to have occui”red when: (1) there was clinical evidence of the typical iliness syndrome, accompanied (2) by the presence of beta hemolytic streptococci in the throat and (3) by a serological response such as an elevation of 2 tubes or greater in the antistreptolysin 0 titer, in the case of organisms belonging to Lancefleld groups A, G, human C and possibly some F strains.Lz The absence of any one of these three criteria casts doubts on the existence of true “infection.”3 One important reason for determining the presence or absence of streptococcal “infections” lies in the relationship presumed to exist between group A organisms and the etiology of rheumatic fever.4 The isolation of beta hemolytic streptococci from the throats of children has been indicated to be insufficient evidence of itself of “infection,” either overt or occult.’ Furthermore, the presence of antistreptolysin 0 (ASLO) titer elevation in association with recovery of beta hemolytic streptococci from the throat in the absence of clinical findings also is inadequate to provide positive proof of “infection,” and may signify a convalescent carrier state or an “occult” infection. The present report sets forth data on school absences of children, attending the first three grades of public schools in Miami, Florida, who participated in a throat culture study during the school year, October, 1954 - May, 1955.6b0 Absences have been related here to the illnesses diagnosed, to the isolation of beta hemolytic streptococci from the throats of these children, and to the ASLO serum titer changes observed concurrently. Tabulations of our data are presented as comparison of absentee versus non-absentee findings. The non-absentee status refers only to children’s presence in school during the regularly scheduled days for sampling. Therefore, information on non-absentees includes children who were never absent at any time during the school year, as well as those who were present at all culture sessions, but who were absent one or more times between sampling periods (58.3 per cent of the 333 children were in this combined category). The results, therefore, highlight differences between absentees and non-absentees, but the degree of differences may be lessened by the effects of untabulated absenteeism among the nonabsentee children. Throat cultures were taken monthly from the throats of 333 children attending the first three grades of three public schools in Miami, Florida, *Suported in part by funds from the Florida State Board of Health, and the Public