You’d be hard pressed to find programs discussed on these CC theatre forums that teach “to the lowest common denominator in the class.” As mentioned, most of the students in these programs have a lot of training and experience (including professional experience). Also, many students who enter BFA programs and intense BA programs are driven, curious, focused, and enjoy intellectual stimulation, and that includes students at true conservatories, conservatories within a LAC/university with few general education requirements, and those with many general education requirements.
There are many worthy programs, including those outside what some consider the tippy top tier; it just depends on what your S thinks he wants. Be careful about placing too much emphasis on lists of “best” places to study; who even creates these lists, anyway, and what metric do they use? (Almost every time a new list comes out, it gets discussed a bit on this forum, with the conclusion that the lists are a bit–or more than a bit–dubious.) It takes a long time to create a list of schools to which one wants to apply, but that is because there are so many options, and one must really match those options to what the student thinks will fit. Some questions he can ask himself:
What would be the ideal amount of time spent in major coursework and in general education requirements for me?
Do I want to be able to delve deeply into another area of study besides theatre?
How would I like acting classes to be approached (emphasis on certain philosophy or tool box approach–ascertained through websites, asking faculty, asking here)?
Would I like the emphasis to be on acting, singing, or dancing?
Would I like to be in a rural, small town, or urban location?
Etc… A college audition coach can help you figure this out if he’s having trouble.
It’s important to note that sometimes people change their minds about what they want throughout their audition year. So, it’s ok or even good to have a list that leaves possibilities open. (For example, my D knew she wanted a BFA conservatory approach with few gen eds. She thought she wanted to be in large town or urban location. She wanted a toolbox approach to acting. Etc… She did audition and was accepted to one 2 year program in case she decided to go that route, and, until fairly late that fall, she did have an overseas option on her list, but decided against that, even after re-thinking the option at Unifieds.) Just try to narrow down what your S thinks he’d like now and keep an open mind.