The qualitative, historical, ethnographic study explored the perceived disparity between the General Certificate of Education (GCE) examination and The Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) and the disparity in the academic achievement of high school students who took the GCE examination and those who took the BGCSE examination. The study's foundation is based on the research question: "What caused the disparity in the academic achievement of high school students who took the GCE examination and those who took the BGCSE examination in the metropolitan area of Freeport, Grand Bahama and the rural area of Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama?" The general problem and the specific problem investigated the implications of perceived disparity for the future social, political, educational, and economic advancement of students, and by extension future leadership in The Bahamas. The purpose of the qualitative, historical, ethnographic study was to determine whether a disparity existed between the GCE and the BGCSE examinations and if so, what caused the disparity in academic achievements of high school students. The methods used to determine the causes of the disparity were the surveys and the interviews. The key findings of the causes of the disparity were: "general agreement that there was a disparity between the GCE and BGCSE examinations," "indigenous practices in education," "lack of parental involvement and motivation of students," "the quality of teacher instruction," "students' lack of discipline," "outside influences (media, other cultures, and peer pressure)," "the socioeconomic status of students," "previous and present examination policy," and "lifestyle choices of students." [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]