The purpose of this study was to examine the influence friends had on academic competence of children. Junior high school students, 322 in total, participated in the study. Results essentially replicated previous studies on the relationship between academic achievement and perceived academic competence, and it was positive. The present study also found that when the friendship was close and reciprocal, the achievement-competence relationship was strong if the friend's achievement was low, and weak if it was high. In contrast, children's perception of academic competence was not influenced if the comparison of academic achievement was made with a friend who was not very close.