This study investigated friendship preferences among black and white students in Georgia public schools in an effort to determine the status of racial barriers among students in current desegregated schools. A measure of social distance was developed for the study based on work by L. Thurstone (1929), E. Bogardus (1965) and others. The extent to which current social attitudes, public policy, and school practices might influence interracial friendships was studied in the 309 responses from students in grades 5 through 12 in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Greater social distance was generally reported by whites than blacks, and by males than females, although gender differences did not reach statistical significance. Social distance was least in the lowest grades, and progressed as children progressed through the grades. In the secondary grades, cross-race socialization becomes a race and social class issue. Results show that, in this environment, the longer children remain in desegregated school environments, the less likely they are to value interracial friendships. (Contains 1 figure, 2 tables, and 15 references.) (SLD)