A total of 78 Mexican-American and 14 Anglo-American children participated in a study to determine the relationship of oral English proficiency, social acceptance, and academic achievement among fifth grade students. The students were administered measures of phonology and verbal expression. Scores from a standardized achievement test were used to determine academic achievement. To discover social approval scores, the students were given a sheet listing all class members and were asked to rank them in terms of whom they would choose to spend time with. The findings suggested that social approval and level of English proficiency were not related, nor were they affected by ethnicity. However, a significant relationship was found between phonology/verbal expression and scholastic achievement. (FL)