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<p>100,000 is about 3% of the total number of high school graduates every year, and probably about 10% of the number heading to four year colleges and universities every year.</p>
<p>Sure, if a middle school placement decision and the high school’s math curriculum puts the student in a position to complete BC before high school graduation, the student aiming for a highly selective college should certainly do so. But is it really worth doing schedule contortions if the student will “only” complete AB or precalculus on his/her current track? (Note that the OP’s student will complete an unspecified calculus course on the current track.)</p>
<p>Even Harvard offers a slow-paced calculus 1 course (Math Ma-Mb) for students who enter with weak math backgrounds (though an entering frosh at Harvard with just precalculus would normally take Math 1a-1b, where 1a = Ma-Mb).</p>