School dropout remains a concern in primary education despite improved enrolment. Research shows that dropout is usually a gradual process linked with absenteeism, low achievement, weak participation, and reduced school attachment (Finn, 1989; Balfanz, Herzog, & Mac Iver, 2007; Rumberger, 2011). This study proposes the Disengagement–Discontinuity–Dropout (DDD) Continuum to explain how early disengagement can develop into educational discontinuity and later school dropout. The framework also presents an assessment battery to identify children at risk through indicators of ECCE exposure, school readiness, foundational learning, engagement, household support, continuity, and dropout risk. It is grounded in research on early childhood education, ecological systems, student engagement, and dropout prevention (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Heckman, 2006; Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004). The framework is relevant to rural and tribal contexts such as Meghalaya, where poverty, distance, language differences, limited preschool access, and weak learning support affect schooling. It also supports the priorities of the National Education Policy (2020), NIPUN Bharat Mission, and the National Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage (2022).