A discriminant analysis of characteristics of students with behavioral disorders in three progressively more intensive placements indicated that age at time of diagnosis was the strongest discriminating variable contributing to placement outcomes. Younger, brighter students tended to be mainstreamed and older students with more externalizing symptoms tended to be placed in more restrictive settings. This study corroborated findings of Kauffman, Cullinan, and Epstein (1987) by showing that cognitive, academic, and behavioral factors did not appear to play dominant roles in placement decisions. Results of this study also offered some confirmation of Olson, Algozzine, and Schmid's (1980) proposed classification of the behaviorally disordered into two groups rather than the three-group model often found in service deliveries.