Time has not changed much, LieLestoSbrat, the days where only rich kids go the school is still upon us (and yes i mean in the westernworld, bog knows its even worse in the third world).
Most kids today in most countries do get primarry schooling (kindergarden to 9'th grade), but thats not enough.
First of all, school in the poor part of town (of any town) will allways be substandard, with outdated books, outdated maps, the works, most of my books where from the early 1960's, and had been in use for as long, the next problem is the teachers, as most poor schools are run down hell holes, with a high internal crime rate of its own, you wont find meny good teachers in poor schools, meaning yet again a more substandard education.
But the real problems are still in the horizon, namely, what can you do with a 9'th grade exam? nothing, its as good as useless, you wont find any kind of propper job having only that....you need more education, and more still, this costs allot of money, and thats where the poor cannot follow, and then you have the problems of 1870 all over again, only the rich kids go to school.
That is one of the primary reasons why crime in ghetto's is so high, people have given up hope, they know they will not get an education, so they focus on how to live without one.
Most of thease people are far from dumb, and way too smart to be working at a factory, or as a garbage man, and with an education they could have gotten far, but they dont have one, and often work in an auto-shop by day, and steal-rob-scam-etc by night, they use their interlect in the only other way they can to make some more money, crime.