Background: Preliminary data were collected to evaluate the psychometric properties of an emotional self-efficacy (ESE) measure in a sample of 3836 public high school adolescents who completed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Survey in South Carolina. Methods: Principal axis factor analysis was followed by a 4-way between-groups analysis of variance (ANOVA) testing for differences in total score means on selected demographic estimates and their interactions. Relationships between total score and selected risk behaviors were examined through a series of 1-way ANOVA procedures and subsequent Tukey Honest Significant Difference (HSD) tests. Results: Factor analysis results suggested that a 1-factor model best explained factor structure of the scale items (factor loadings 0.64 to 0.71, eigenvalue?=?3.24, h[superscript 2]?= 0.46). Girls reported a significantly higher mean total ESE rating than boys; White students reported a significantly higher mean total ESE rating than Black students. Statistically significant lower mean total ESE ratings were also noted for those who reported physical fighting, lifetime alcohol use, and sexual intercourse. Conclusion: This 7-item scale is a reliable measure and could aid school health researchers and mental health practitioners in psychosocial screening and as an outcome of social and emotional learning as a brief measure of adolescent ESE.