There is a widespread assumption that education leads to empowerment. However, research rarely explores young people’s perceptions of their own educational experience in terms of empowerment or disempowerment. This is especially the case for the sub-Saharan African context. Addressing this gap, Simone Datzberger’s study lets almost 500 Ugandan youth speak for themselves in the scope of a questionnaire. The diversity of young people’s responses shows that experiences of empowerment through formal education differ significantly among individuals. This suggests that education alone is not the magic bullet for systemic change at large.