Peer relationships are integral to foster a student’s continued academic engagement and their sense of belonging within their community (for review see Juvonen, 2006). Studies have shown that there are adverse academic consequences (Wentzel et al., 2004; Baumister & DeWall, 2005) when students do not have strong peer relations as well as increased vulnerability to stressors such as peer victimization (Junoven & Gross, 2005) or financial adversity (Becker & Luthar, 2002). Students with ASD experience particular social difficulties because of their symptomatology: social communication deficits and restrictive and repetitive behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Although these core deficits constitute the general population of those with ASD, the population is extremely heterogeneous, especially when considering individual developmental trajectories. For example, some children with ASD maintain sustainable social networks and are highly involved with their peers (Kasari, Locke, Gulsrud & Rotherham-Fuller, 2010). Despite increased enrollment in regular classrooms, there is insufficient research analyzing the heterogeneity of peer relations or social networks for students with ASD. The present study explored differences of self-perceptions of friendship quality and loneliness between students with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) and those with typical development (TD) and whether these perceptions differentiate students with HFASD who have higher social involvement and are more engaged from those who do not. Results indicate that those with HFASD are consistently reporting poorer friendship quality and fewer friends. However, students with HFASD also are reporting less loneliness compared to peers with TD. Self-perceptions did not significantly predict peer network involvement or engagement. Current findings prompt future research into students with HFASD and their conceptions of friendship and loneliness.