I am from an underprivileged part of the state, and I can attest that it’s easier score wise to get into the state schools. I know students from my kid’s grades who got into uva with 1300s. I want to say even 1200s but they may have been URMs.
On the flip side we don’t have anyone taking SAT study classes, no tutors, no prep. Most kids take it 1-2 times and that’s it.
And our kids’ transcripts show a high number of AP/DE classes. My youngest had 9 AP/DE senior year. The quality of the classes I am sure aren’t on par with richer areas, but it looks good on the transcripts. And I don’t know any kid who’s gotten accepted to UVA who dropped out. Ours kids do well in college in general, and they usually don’t come back.
They tend to also be very independent and self driven. We don’t have guidance counsellors leading the way. The kids (not counsellors nor parents) figure out what classes to take. You just hope the counsellors put you in enough classes. Several of the kids in the advanced classes start with only 1-2 classes/semester and the rest study hall because they’ve fulfilled all the requirements of a standard diploma.
I just remember how different my kids’ HS experience was compared to my NOVA one. And while most parents here would be horrified at a lot of it, I was impressed with the group of kids who did go on to college. They all had their act together. They appreciated what college could do for them.