L'école, c'est secondaire

The film is dedicated to Elisabeth Leustig and Lexie Bigham, both of whom were involved in the movie's production and died in automobile crashes shortly after filming was completed. Bigham acted in the film, and Leustig was the film's casting director.

The tobacco that Richard spews all over the cake disappears in a later shot.

After the credits, a crew modifies the statue of Marion Barry by bending one of his knees and adding a guitar to his hands; we then see that the school name and statue have been changed to Chuck Berry.

Some of the extented footage in the TV version has a bit of more dialogue between Richard Clark and his father in the opening scene where Richard tells his father that he may not be able to change the world but at least make a difference. When Richard Clark first arrives at Barry High School, he asks a student standing in front of the Danger Treds Damage Tires sign and asks where the faculty parking lot is and the student responds "who are you?" and Richard replies that he's a new teacher and the student replys "so, more meat for the grinder." A more lenghly introduction to the classroom is shown with a few men wearing chemical protective clothing leave the classroom as Richard and Victoria first arrive to see his classroom.

Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Sleepers/Get on the Bus/To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday/Jude/Swingers (1996)