@ChoatieMom, Although I normally defer to your greater wisdom, in this case I think you are mistaken. At Mercersburg, the AP classes are among the most rigorous routinely available in most departments, and I’m pretty sure the same is true of a number of well-regarded schools (at least it was 5 years ago, when we were looking). For most people, that would not be a valid reason to avoid a school, because few high school students actually need more than introductory college-level classes. Only the largest schools are likely to have a substantial cohort of students in this category. Most boarding schools (Mercersburg included) go past AP level in math and accommodate advanced students’ needs on an individual basis in other subjects. Also, I don’t see why a well-taught AP course at a boarding school would be less engaging than a similar course without the AP label.
@calimex, She is at Penn. I looked it up and they do give actual credit for certain AP scores, so she received credit for math and French and was able to waive Econ. This may not seem like a big deal, but it might keep her from ever having to take 7 classes at a time.