As a person who grown up and got education in the former Soviet Union, pr Daniel hits a wrong target. In SU, higher education ( except some prestigious areas like international diplomacy, or dental doctors ) was almost completely based on personal performance. Prestigious high school were rare, but did not need any extra money. Yet, the pattern was exactly the same: In universities, in these high schools with better education, all but few students were from highly educated parents. If you from factory workers family, much likely that you will drop from high school and go to factory, after professional training. Soviet Union regarded a little smart people. Engineers and Doctors ( except extraordinary ones ) were among the poorest. My mom as engineer had salary about two times less than ordinary factory workers. US rewards educated people best, this is why strict correlation between education level and income. But the main problem, and this is common for both US and SU, that less educated parents do much less efforts to push their children. Don't remember who said it, but it describes the problem: "To be educated person, You have to graduate three universities. The first one should finish your grandfather, the second do your father, and you graduate the third"