Using Hirschi's social bonds theory as a foundation, this study examines the effects of at-risk students' school bonds on their classroom behaviour. In this article, school bonds are defined as the students' attachment to teachers/staff, students' affiliation to the school, students' belief in the fairness of the school rules and students' involvement in school-related activities. The data are from a sample of 77 at-risk students attending an alternative middle school in a small city in the northeastern region of the USA. The findings based on results of a school-wide survey and students' school records, parallel prior research demonstrate a statistically significant inverse relationship between school bonds (namely the affiliation and the belief bonds) and classroom misconduct. The results of this study reveal the driving force behind reducing classroom misconduct is students' perception of fairness of school rules (as defined by the belief bond).