College Bound Friends: A Study of Racial and Ethnic Differences

Co-author: Steven Elías Alvarado

During the formative adolescent years, peers gain influence on students’ educational outcomes and are among the most powerful social forces affecting youth behavior. Adolescent friendships are arguably even more important than parents, teachers, or counselors. However, most studies assume that the influence of peers is uniform across groups, even though youth tend to self-segregate by race and ethnicity. Using data from the Texas Higher Education Opportunity Project, we conduct a multilevel analysis of peer effects on the college applications of high school seniors of different racial and ethnic groups. We find that, compared to Black and White students, Latino students do not reap the same benefits from college bound friends. Possible explanations for the weaker influence of peers on Latino students are discussed.