@TLD1267 Haha sorry I mis-read your intentions then. I think they can only base these things off of numbers due to the high volume of applicants, it would really be a hassle to have to judge who should get merit based on ECs (Things that actually count for more later in life). Judging by the fact your daughter didn’t meet the criteria for class rank or SATs, I will just assume that she is not in Honors. In that case, she can apply for Honors after year one. I would also tell her to ask if merit is then given upon admissions to Honors.
@SoPAHusky I would say that SAT holds more merit than GPA in these decisions, although a decent GPA is still required. Our school actually doesn’t rank beyond number 1 and 2, of which I am neither, but because my SAT was a 1550 for Math and Reading, they were willing to overlook my GPA, which actually wasn’t too strong, and as a result I received a lot more money than people in my school who had higher GPAs but lower SAT scores (They can judge using GPAs without class rank because they can compare between one school). However, this extra money may have been a result of getting another scholarship beyond just Honors.