Guidelines for placement of children in residential treatment centers have most often been stated in terms of problems that are inappropriately treated in other settings. The study was undertaken to see if it was possible to define those children most often accepted by treatment centers. Using discriminant analysis, it was possible to significantly differentiate between children who were accepted and rejected by five treatment centers on a combination of individual, family, and community variables. Differences were found in discriminating variables when agencies were compared by level of treatment. These findings suggest it is possible to define those children most acceptable for residential treatment and to provide some baseline for later program evaluation. In addition, it is possible to define those children who are rejected by treatment centers so that we can better plan programs for them.