Does being valedictorian potentially help?

It’s not the factor you think it is. Many hs don’t even name vals. You’d be making a big deal out of something they can see right on the app. Why not get a sample of the Common App and any supps for your targets and see what kind of full picture they try to get. The holistic schools don’t make final decisions based on rank or stats. And you have to know these schools or you may miss the point in what you do now and how you present it in the app. There are no shortcuts. Your hs may love you for val- or if you were trying to transfer to another hs, they might, but the colleges take a look, then move right past it to see the rest of what you offer.

I mean, unless you are applying to a school that just looks at stats, not the whole story.