Although the specialized literature often indicates that the school system is inadequate concerning the service to the marginal population, there is no consensus about its effects on the subjectivity of their students. The objective of this article is to understand, through individual interviews with students and alumni of a Brazilian public school, the unbreakable bond between the school and the social-familiar context and the construction of subjectivity. The concept of subjectivity is based on the historical and cultural theory, specially on the González Rey's (2003). The main methodological tool was the life history method. By using this tool it was possible to reconstruct not only the student's history experienced in school but also the role the school played in the community history. Even though the identitary experiences appear as relevant details in the student's reports there is no perception of a predetermined or compulsory relationship between these elements by neither the student nor the school.