As a student at Mulin Elementary and Mutan Junior High, Tsao was one of the top ten students in his class, and he eventually tested into the nearby Provincial Hengchun Senior High.
就讀鄉裡的牡林國小及牡丹國中期間，曹明生的課業成績在班上前 10 名，高中考上離家不遠的省立恆春高中。