This paper will report on the findings from classroom observations and focus group discussions conducted on the topic of popularity and fitting in at school with girls and boys from four government secondary schools in Antigua. The findings show that whilst boys did experience difficulties negotiating academic success and acceptable masculinities, the consensus was that popularity was associated with low achievement for both girls and boys. However, there was evidence that "some" girls were able to work hard and maintain better peer relations than other high achieving students, but that this "balancing" required conformity to hetero-feminine norms as well as the espousal of rigid views about what girls can and can't do. This suggests that real equality is far from being reached.