Plenty of my school fellows did just OK in high school, went to second-rank universities, where they majored in having a good time, crammed for the LSAT (law school test) and squeezed into second-rank law schools or business schools.

BBC: Class calculator: A US view of the class system

The new plan alters the ratios so that the top 9% of students from each high school would be guaranteed a spot, as well as students who rank in the top 9% of the state as a whole.

ECONOMIST: Affirmative action

Texas public schools rank in the bottom third for both spending per pupil and high school graduation rates.

FORBES: Perry Not Letting Anyone Run to His Right