Schools have a wide range of connections with the child welfare system, with common interests in the care, well-being, and future life opportunities of children living in foster care. Children in foster care are often the most vulnerable students in the school system, and school social workers often serve as important resources for these children. This article offers another lens for school social workers in their quest to support the academic well-being of children in foster care: a social capital conceptual framework that both clarifies how and why children in foster care may struggle in school and suggests ways that school social workers may help improve academic and other outcomes. In this article we first review the literature on foster care and school performance; next, we briefly describe what we mean by social capital and discuss existing research that focuses on social capital and educational outcomes. Finally, we extend the social capital literature to the unique academic situation of children in foster care and discuss implications for school social work practice. (Contains 1 figure.)