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The purpose of this correlational study was to analyze the relationship between race and socioeconomic status on educational attainment amongst high school students in the United States. Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model was used as the study's theoretical framework to align the ecological systems with educational attainment. A secondary data set entitled Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) was used from the National Center for Education Statistics, which followed a nationally representative cohort of 15,360 high school sophomores over a 10-year period. The setting for the study was archival national data, and the sample represented diverse geographic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Data were collected by the NCES through surveys, assessments, and follow-ups, from which the variables of interest, including race, socioeconomic status, and highest level of educational attainment, were extracted for analysis. Using a quantitative, correlational, nonexperimental design, chi-square analysis revealed statistically significant associations between both race and socioeconomic status with students’ highest level of educational attainment, with Cramér’s V indicating a weak to moderate effect size. The results emphasized the enduring influence of demographic factors on long-term educational outcomes, highlighting the persistent impact of systemic inequities. Recommendations for future research included examining additional intersectional variables such as gender and geographic region, utilizing more recent longitudinal datasets, conducting intervention-based quantitative studies to assess equity-focused strategies, and incorporating qualitative perspectives to better understand the lived experiences of students navigating structural barriers.