This study investigated whether the lower class student preceives a "conflict of subcultures" between his home environment and his middle class oriented school. Data were collected through interviews with 12- to 16-year-old lower class students in New York City and Baltimore. The 110 students on whom the findings are based were divided into four groups by social class and type of school attended. Interviews covered students' aspirations, attitudes, perception of parental expectations, and interpersonal competence. Data revealed that lower class students do not find the norms and attitudes of their homes and their schools in conflict. It was found, however, that the academically unsuccessful lower class group was less socially competent than the others. This variable did not correlate with socioeconomic status; data suggested that it may be a psychological variable dialectically but not deterministically related to social class. (EF)