Having gone through the process with our S24 at a feederish private HS, we are fortunately familiar with this effect. Every recent class was different in terms of recruited athletes, legacies, areas and colleges of interest for the students with the best grades, exactly what it meant to have the best grades, and so on.
My standards for “good for college placement” are therefore all process not outcome based. Does the high school offer lots of different opportunities for kids to explore in depth different academic and non-academic interests? Does it offer supportive academic counseling, tutoring, and so on? Does it have robust, individualized college counseling that includes helping students explore less well-known options that might nonetheless be great fits for them?
If my kid’s secondary school checks all those boxes, then that is all I ask. The exact outcome will then depend on my kid’s interests, preferences, and developed abilities, which is as it should be.