THIS RESEARCH TRACED THE SOCIOMETRIC CHOICE PATTERNS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL PUPILS FROM GRADE 4 THROUGH GRADE 11 TO DETERMINE IF THESE PATTERNS DIFFER FOR ABILITY GROUP VERSUS RANDOM GROUP PUPILS, TO LEARN WHETHER TRENDS IN SOCIOMETRIC STATUS DURING SECONDARY SCHOOL CAN BE PREDICTED FROM DATA OBTAINED IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES, AND TO DETERMINE WHETHER STUDENTS WHO MARKEDLY GAIN OR LOSE SOCIOMETRIC STATUS DURING SECONDARY SCHOOL DIFFER IN PERSONALITY, SCHOOL ATTITUDE, AND A VARIETY OF BIOGRAPHICAL CHARACTERISTICS. RESULTS INDICATED THAT SOCIOMETRIC CHOICE LEVELS DID NOT DIFFER FOR ABILITY GROUPED VERSUS RANDOM GROUPED PUPILS. ALTHOUGH PUPILS HAVING DIFFERENT SOCIOMETRIC STATUS PATTERNS DURING SECONDARY SCHOOL DIFFERED ON SOME VARIABLES COLLECTED AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL, THE DIFFERENCES WERE NOT LARGE ENOUGH OR CONSISTENT ENOUGH TO PERMIT PREDICTION OF FUTURE SOCIOMETRIC CHOICE TRENDS. COMPARISONS BETWEEN STUDENTS WHO HAD MADE LARGE GAINS IN STATUS BETWEEN GRADES SEVEN AND 11 AND THOSE WHO HAD MADE SIMILAR LOSSES DURING THIS PERIOD SHOWED THAT THE TWO GROUPS DIFFERED SIGNIFICANTLY ON 13 PERSONALITY VARIABLES AND EIGHT BIOGRAPHICAL VARIABLES OBTAINED AT GRADE 11. (AUTHOR)