“What we saw is that of the 25 or so kids who were admitted to top 10 colleges, maybe 3 were like my son - strong stats, but no hooks. Everybody else was an URM, a recruited athlete or a legacy.” [I would add to this list - first generation and low socio-economic class].
This sounds about right. I bet that rate (12.5% of unhooked smart white kids get into top 10 colleges) is accurate no matter what high school you come from.