When he finished elementary school at age 12, he had an excellent record that had earned his admittance to an academic junior high school. Although his sister was willing to pay his tuition, "my family was poor, and the decision wasn't negotiable.
12 歲國小畢業，張國榮以優異的成績考上中學，儘管姊姊願意幫他出學費，但是「家裡窮，沒得商量，就被媽媽帶著去學藝了！」