Relying simply on test scores to rank schools really falls way short of capturing the complexity of what goes on in schools and what goes into achievement. It will happen. You're not doing the kid any favors by feeling sorry for him, but it is a natural thing to do. We can't ignore external conditions, but we need to spend a lot of energy and money on professional development for those who work in the system. What I see in teachers is not so much frustration that poor kids can't learn, but that they may not have the strategies to affect that learning.
Poverty brings with it all kinds of behaviors that have to be dealt with.
It's not saying there is no problem. These are discussions about what the solution ought to be. Our teachers are trained in parent conferencing and how to affect change at home. They tell parents that there is a necessity for quiet, a necessity for a place to study, a necessity to get to bed at decent hour - things these moms just might not know. But my principals say there is no excuse for the failure of schools to teach poor children.