This article examines the subjective life experiences of racial minority Xhosa speakers and the factors that contribute to their continued poor academic performance in a previously Whites-only school in South Africa. Vygotskian sociocultural perspective in relation to creating a democratic educational system and Bronfenbrenner's biosystemic theory and his understanding of proximal processes inform the discussion within this article. To gain insight into the subjective life experiences of these learners, a qualitative methodology was implemented. Research methods included individual semi-structured interviews and one focus group interview. The participants were purposively selected as information-rich sources from grades 9 to 11 at the specific school. The findings indicated that poor academic performance of Xhosa learners as a racial and linguistic minority in a former Whites-only school is largely attributed to discriminatory attitudes from staff and peers which lead to feelings of inadequacy experienced by the respondents and their parents.