My son had to read it in 7th grade Honor's English. He also went to a production of short stories at the Alabama Theatre and saw it live. The group that did it was quite good.
It's a great story. I really had no idea that it was still being read in schools (or performed) mainly because of the suggestive (and actual) violence with guns, knives, dogs, Malayan man-traps, and pointy-toothed Cossacks. I would've thought they had to read pablum about living with two dads or two mommies...but then again my mixed-race child is mostly home-schooled these days...