How does the high school you attend impact admission?

2Devils
Sun, 22 May 2022 17:56:46 +0000

Agree with others: it is complicated. I got my hands on some data a few years ago when we were considering a public test-in magnet. That school has at least 75% of students who have above-95%ile scores based on the admission testing, and the SAT averages reflect the same. However, the kids who finish in the bottom half almost never get in to the top two public flagships, and the top-10 acceptances are about 8-10% of the class. Contrast that with some local privates where “only” the top 1/4 with >95th %ile SATs, yet the flagship and top-10 chances(based on data provided by schools ) are only slightly lower. A student who chose the public yet was not a 99th%ile superstar AND willing to work very hard to get near the top of the class (and not let themselves be intimidated) might be better off at a school with less competition to get near the top.
It really all depends on the schools in question and the student as well: where can they get that right balance of academic challenge but also be able to stand out?
A friend of mine has 3 kids and made three different choices for HS based on the data from each school and the individual kid: and it worked very well—all three were able to bloom where planted and shine, and each got into one of their top choices.