A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, MOTIVATIONAL, AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGH-ACHIEVING STUDENTS FROM A DEPRIVED ENVIRONMENT. THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE STUDENT'S SEX TO HIS ACHIEVEMENT STATUS WAS ALSO ASSESSED. THE SUBJECTS, 160 10-YEAR-OLD FIFTH-GRADE NEGRO CHILDREN, WERE DIVIDED INTO LOW-ACHIEVING AND HIGH-ACHIEVING GROUPS. RESEARCH PERSONNEL ADMINISTERED TO ALL CHILDREN BOTH INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS, SUCH AS AN OBJECT SORTING TASK AND THE WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE SCALE FOR CHILDREN, AND SEVERAL PAPER AND PENCIL GROUP DEVICES SUCH AS THE SELF-APPRAISAL SCALE. IN ADDITION, EACH CHILD WAS INTERVIEWED BY A PSYCHOLOGIST AND APPRAISED BY HIS CLASSROOM TEACHER. SIGNIFICANTLY, THE SELF- AND TEACHER-APPRAISALS CORRELATED MOST HIGHLY WITH THE STUDENT'S ACHIEVEMENT STATUS. THE HIGH-ACHIEVERS WERE MORE STABLE, SELF-REALIZING, AND CAUTIOUS IN THEIR THINKING. ALSO, THEY WERE MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN THE LOW-ACHIEVERS AT THOSE TASKS REQUIRING VERBAL INFORMATION, CONCEPTUAL ABILITIES, AND COGNITIVE SKILLS. THUS THE HIGH-ACHIEVERS SURPASSED THE LOW-ACHIEVERS IN THOSE ABILITIES AND SKILLS TRADITIONALLY EMPHASIZED IN SCHOOL. THEY DID NOT SURPASS THEM, HOWEVER, IN LINGUISTIC COMPLEXITY, CREATIVITY, AND CURIOSITY. ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS, FORMAL LANGUAGE, AND EMOTIONAL ANXIETY WERE SOME OF THE PROBLEM AREAS COMMON TO BOTH GROUPS. THE SCHOOL MUST BE CAREFUL NOT TO IGNORE THESE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES, AND SHOULD DEVELOP COGNITIVE AND EGO COMPETENCE IN BOTH LOW- AND HIGH-ACHIEVERS. RELEVANT DATA IS PRESENTED IN THE APPENDIXES TO THIS EXTENSIVE REPORT. AVAILABLE AS PART OF THE RESEARCH STUDIES SERIES FROM ASSOCIATED EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORP., 630 FIFTH AVE., NEW YORK, N.Y. 10020.