What is the relationship of ethnicity to students' experiences in and responses to schooling? How is success in school related to ethnicity? In this dissertation the schools and community of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, provide the setting for a multi-ethnic comparative case study in educational anthropology which addresses these questions. Students' school response patterns were established through ethnographic observations, structured interviews, and school records. Community research provided the social, political, economic, and cultural context for schooling on St. Croix. The study focuses primarily on the native or Crucian population. The Puerto Rican and Down Islander immigrant groups are viewed in comparison to their hosts. The research reveals clear variation both between and within the ethnic groupings in terms of school experiences. For example, Down Islander students are more likely than either Crucian or Puerto Rican students to finish high school. Students' responses to schooling are explained through West Indian sex roles, Crucian class structure, and the Virgin Islands' status as a territory of the United States. The St. Croix case study reveals that schools are one important context for observing the tensions between the two value system. In addition to demonstrating the influence of ethnicity as culture on students' responses to schooling, the study indicates that students identify themselves and others according to ethnic criteria. (Author/AM)