Violent conflicts are becoming a regular feature across the world. Studies have pointed to the impact they have on the education of young survivors. But education appears in these studies as an instrument of integration. They overlook the processes both within and outside schools that affect the educational lives of young survivors. This article examines the educational trajectories of seven survivors of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, looking beyond the narrow focus on increasing access to schools post-violence. It argues that the consequences of violent conflict on education of children who are directly affected are long-drawn and complex and need to be examined keeping in mind the agency of families and role of schools.