Wow! This is a fascinating utopian vision of high school! I’d love to know what school your kid attends! Wherever this utopia is that your kid landed, I hope you know how lucky you are! Mine are high-achieving, popular, athletic kids, and yes, they definitely feel like they are not “finding their people” in high school. No, they don’t lack friends. Yes, they feel like their peer group does not meet expectations in terms of a lot of things: standing up to bullying, valuing academics above sports, staying away from drugs/alcohol, having hobbies like reading and art, etc. My kids have neither “academic super star” friends nor “weird nerds,” but they are certainly not attending the utopian high school that yours is! I’m also fascinated by your school culture where these “delightful kids,” some with parents with criminal records and others with fancy parents are all happily co-existing! I’m not suggesting my kids need some kind of highly ranked school to "find their people, but seriously, where is this high school utopia which you describe?