Early adolescence is a time of great turmoil as well as tremendous social, emotional, and cognitive growth. Young people at this age are becoming more aware of social status and of their position in the social hierarchy; at the same time, they are usually moving into larger school environments where they are exposed to more variation among their peers. Thus, it is important that schools provide diverse environments that support the social growth of students in this age group. The author describes her two-year study of 30 economically diverse students who were moving from grade 6 in one-town elementary schools to grade 7 in a multi-town regional middle school. She found that social relationships were of paramount concern to students, and that certain school structures--especially competitive extracurricular activities and ability grouping--tended to heighten social segregation. The article ends with the recommendation that middle schools carefully examine how to balance social development and academic achievement, and the author's assertion that we cannot have one without the other.