Children's adjustment and achievement in first grade is crucial to subsequent long-term school success. This study investigated characteristics related to kindergarten and first-grade children's social competence and school adjustment: (1) associations between personality characteristics and social competence; (2) the contribution of social and academic competence to school achievement; (3) similarities between competence in school and non-school contexts; and (4) differences in the previous relationships between kindergarten and first grade. Results indicate that social competence at school contributes importantly to school adjustment, independent of academic competence and intelligence, particularly in kindergarten; and that social competence differs between school and non-school contexts. Agentic (traditionally male sex-typed) and, to a lesser degree, nurturing (traditionally female sex-typed) characteristics predicted social competence in both family and school contexts, while nervousness and creativity were negative predictors. (Contains 10 references.) (TM)