How is Riverdale different from the Bronx in The Other Wes Moore?

Riverdale, an elite private school, really couldn't be any more different from the Bronx. For one thing, virtually the entire student population is white. This is something of a culture shock for Wes when he starts attending his new school; he's grown up in a culturally-mixed neighborhood, consisting largely of African-American, Puerto Rican, and Chinese-American families.
Little wonder, then, that Wes feels so out of place at Riverdale. And little wonder, too, that his friends tease him mercilessly about attending a white school. Wes responds by exaggerating his recent suspension for fighting. This is a pretty transparent—and unsuccessful—attempt to make him sound tough, to make it seem that he hasn't really left the life of the streets behind despite going to a good school.