The study assessed the self-concept of academic ability among 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grade Indian children, compared their level of self-concept with that of other children enrolled in the same classes to find out the role of socioeconomic and ethnic background in determining the level of self-concept, and examined the factors that correlated with self-concept and academic achievement of Indian children. A total of 230 students were administered the Brookover Scale of "Self-Concept of Academic Ability". Schools provided, when available, the percentile scores from the verbal and mathematics tests and the composite scores taken from the Iowa Basic and the Iowa Test of Educational Development. In addition, questionnaires relating to the family's educational and economic background, and mobility were sent to the family of each student who completed the Brookover Scale; 76 questionnaires were returned. Grade point averages were used only for the 10th and 12th grade students. Data were analyzed using traditional analysis of variance techniques and factorial designs and randomized blocks. Based on the analyzed data, the following conclusions were made: self-concept provided a good predictor of GPA; no significant differences existed between grade school and high school Indian students in their self-concept scores; the mean self-concept score and the mean GPA for Indian students were significantly lower than for white students; there was a strong correlation between family income and self-concept. (NQ)