I remember a while back when I asked about my chances to get into a college, I had brought up how I haven’t taken many Honors classes at my school, but have had 4.0+ since freshman year (I’m now a Junior). I go to a college prep school and someone had told me if my school had a high graduation rate to 4-year colleges, that when I applied most colleges would assume my school is more rigorous and my regular classes are like honors classes in a normal school. My school has a 97% graduation rate to 4-year colleges. Can anybody tell me if this is true?
No. If your school offers honors courses, then non-honors courses will be viewed as non-honors courses.
Regardless, your GC will be rating your schedule rigor for your application and will be comparing your schedule vs the other students in your grade.
There’s a difference between a GC rating of your schedule at your school and your broader question of overall rigor vs. other applicants.
At your school, you likely wouldn’t get a Most Rigorous check.
More broadly, you would be seen as taking non-honors courses in a good school. The school profile and history would define how the school is viewed.
There are many very good schools in the country with very high graduation rates. Honors courses at all of those would be considered more rigorous than non-honors courses at similar schools.
You could argue that a non-honors course at a very good school is on par with an honors course at a “normal” school. But the student at that “normal” school took the initiative to take the hardest course available. So even if the coursework could be considered equal, that effort would likely be rewarded.
Yes, non-honors courses at a top school would likely be looked upon more favorably than non-honors courses at “normal” schools, if by “normal” you mean non-rigorous, non-college prep schools with lower graduation and college rates.