In my group of friends were kids who graduated from MIT, Duke, Columbia and other schools like that. There were also several kids that were in the bottom 10 kids of the over 600 student body.
The wealthiest are 2 that finished in the bottom of the class. Both opened their own business. One in construction and the other in real estate. Making money is not restricted to only academic stars.
I should add my younger brother had a friend who was smart but a stoner who did not do well in school. He now has one of the largest landscaping companies in NJ. He is very rich.