The evidence has been clear on the negative consequences of school dropout and on the relevance of the role that teachers have in retaining their students. However, little has been studied in Chile, so it is necessary to direct attention to educational communities. For this reason, this research sought to characterize the role of teachers in school retention. 47 interviews were conducted with teachers, principals and support professionals from 4 high schools in Valparaíso. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. As findings, three axes were found that characterize the teaching work: Delivery of a compre- hensive education adjusted to the realities of the student (the pedagogical); generation of a significant link with the student (the emotional) and establishment of alliances with other adults who surround the student (the collaborative). These results are problematized, and it ends with implications for educational management.La evidencia ha sido clara en las consecuencias negativas de la deserción escolar y en la relevancia del rol que tienen los docentes para retener a sus estudiantes. Sin embargo, poco se ha estudiado en Chile, por lo que es necesario dirigir la atención hacia las comuni- dades educativas. Por este motivo, la presente investigación buscó caracterizar el papel de los profesores en la retención escolar. Se realizaron 47 entrevistas a docentes, directivos y profesionales de apoyo de 4 liceos de Valparaíso. Las entrevistas se analizaron mediante análisis cualitativo de contenido. Como hallazgos, se encontraron tres ejes que caracterizan la labor docente: Entrega de una formación integral ajustada a las realidades del estudiante (lo pedagógico); generación de un vínculo significativo con el alumno (lo emocional) y esta- blecimiento de alianzas con otros adultos que rodean al discente (lo colaborativo). Se proble- matizan estos resultados y se finaliza con implicancias para la gestión educativa.