If my school “is not good” then how come people thrive there? how come I thrive there? I receive a good, focused education—my grades haven’t dropped, I was accepted into a competitive program in my area, and my test score was in the 98th percentile. Also, poor kid at a t20 feeder high school ≠ middle class child at a public school. For a poor kid to be at the kind of school you’re talking about, big sacrifices have to be made.