Abstract
This qualitative study presents high school tracking and the role of social capital among college-bound students. The qualitative methodology includes forty personal interviews to Latino/as and White Non-Hispanic (WNH) high school students. Family’s income and parental level of education showed to play an important role for school achievement. While some WNH students study under the shelter of their well-educated and financially stable family, Latino/a students are nurtured by their family’s emotional support and high educational expectations. This study found students making use of technology in unique ways. Phone texting and internet chatting maintain female students engaged in social and support networks. While male students made use of phone texting and internet chatting less than females. Male students appeared more attracted to sports than females. This study found that males use sports to strengthen their social bonds, release stress and maintain mental balance. Students appeared to be highly competitive with each other but they also reported that their peers are supportive with their education and academic achievement. Competition among students and family pressure appeared to cause significant levels of emotional distress among all students.