Previous research has suggested that African American children are more equipped to close the achievement gap when enrolled in mainstream schools than in culturally familiar schools. However, this study seeks to determine if there are benefits to attending a culturally familiar school. This study explored test score performance difference of 393 African American children's performance on Iowa 7 and the Act Aspire standardized during first and third grade in a culturally familiar school and mainstream school and whether socioeconomic status (SES)influenced the relationship. The state standardized test scores were obtained from the Little Rock School District's archived data system. The results demonstrated a significant difference in test scores of African American students in first grade on the Iowa 7 and mainstream students having higher test scores than students enrolled in a culturally familiar (p = 0.003). Test scores for third grade students on the Act Aspire resulted in a significant association, with higher test scores among African American mainstream students (p < 0.01). There was no significant interaction between SES of culturally familiar or mainstream schools for Iowa 7 test scores (p = 0.271) and no statistically significant interaction between SES and school type for Act Aspire test scores (p = 0.416). This research increased our knowledge of how African American children's educational experience might require a cultural understanding. Further research should focus on resource availability for all schools in districts. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]