Men Bill Gates föddes i övre medelklass eller kanske till och med vad som kan kallas för amerikansk överklass, och hade med sig ett kraftigt intellektuellt kapital, och en hel del pengar. Han gick inte i ett vanligt högstadie och gymnasie, utan privatskola.
"His father was a prominent lawyer, and his mother served on the board of directors of First Interstate BancSystem and United Way of America. Gates's maternal grandfather J. W. Maxwell was a national bank president. He also has an older sister Kristi (Kristianne) and a younger sister Libby. He is the fourth of his name in his family but is known as William Gates III or "Trey" (i.e., three) because his father had the "II" suffix.[6][7].
Lakeside School is a private school located in Seattle, Washington, for grades 5–12. As of 2024, school review website Niche ranked Lakeside School as the best private high school in Washington state (succeeded by the Overlake School in second) and the 52nd best private high school in the United States."