Without knowing the whole story of the non-honors recommendation, let me insert that maybe OP meant that “only one kid” was recommended from REGULAR to move UP to honors math.
That would not be unusual during the transition into the much harder Algebra II or Precalculus courses. Most of the honors class would be filled with kids who also had honors the year before.
Let me also say, as a teacher, that it’s not just your grade in regular classes that matters for honors. For instance, in my school, the grade in regular classes is based less on tests and more on in-class activities, and the homeworks are easier - which means that a kid could earn an A in a regular class and still not be a good candidate for the honors course the following year.