Using a nationally representative sample from two waves of the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS), this research examines the aspiration-attainment gap that exists for Black students (N = 823). This gap is a measure of the difference between the educational level students said they aspired to reach reported in 1988 when attending 8th grade versus the education level they actually attained in 2006. Hierarchical OLS regression modeling reveals that after controlling for a variety of family, individual, and economic characteristics; parental involvement in a child's school life (social capital) is a predictor of a student's educational attainment, However, findings also reveal that investment in social capital does not necessarily make up for low levels of human capital. The authors offer suggestions for future theorizing and research in contextualizing the aspiration-attainment gap among Black students. (Contains 4 tables.)