Despite the myth of Asian academic success, there is a distinction between the educational background and academic achievements of immigrant and refugee children from literate, urban, western-influenced backgrounds, and refugee children from pre-literate, rural cultures that are uninfluenced by Western technology and education. This is demonstrated by examining the Hmong. Hmong children are relatively uneducated when they arrive in the United States. The longer they remain in the United States, the better they do on standardized tests. The younger the Hmong children are when they first arrive, the better their chances of achieving academically. In the classroom, their drive and determination compensate for their lack of background: of the Hmong in San Diego, California, 40 percent had grade point averages above 3.0. The following explanations of Hmong children's classroom performance are discussed: (1) the studies of Kan and Liu, which concentrate on socioeconomic analysis; and (2) wave theory, which concentrates on rural-urban differences among refugees who fled their native countries at different times. The importance of ethnicity to the Hmong is discussed. Structural and institutional issues are addressed. Implications for future research are outlined. Data are presented on four tables. A seven-page bibliography is included. (BJV)