This is a report about a rural public school in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in which the students were recognized for the best regional performance in the Exame Nacional de Ensino Médio [National High School Exam]. The objective of this case study was to understand the meaning the institution holds in the eyes of the community, and analyze whether it might explain the students' high performance. Ethnographic techniques were used (participant observation documentary analysis and biographical interviews) and questionnaires were applied; the data was analyzed with reference to authors in the fields of Sociology and Anthropology, such as Dubar, Dubet, Canário, Tardif, Geertz and DaMatta. The director manages the public school as if it was a private school and overcomes the boundaries imposed by bureaucratic organization. Teachers have autonomy to do their work as they see fit, appear to have high self-esteem and see the school from at least three perspectives: the "family school", the "teaching and learning" space and the "home's backyard".
rural areas; case estudy; teachers; school autonomy