Sense of belonging is the degree to which students feel integrated with their peers and teachers at school. This study describes sense of belonging among Peruvian students entering high school. Socioeconomic status had no direct effect on sense of belonging but had an indirect effect through achievement. Rural students had a higher sense of belonging than their urban peers. This is likely due to rural children seeing the larger, better equipped high schools as improvements over their relatively small and more isolated primary schools. Some general orientation activities were organized by teachers and principals aimed at all incoming first graders but nothing was designed specifically for students who might face difficulties in adjusting to high school. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.