<p>Many privates are different and I think in some ways it does reduce the stress of this time. At my son’s prep/private there is no class rank.
The school profile states that only a few students take courses at the honors/AP level. Finally, a gpa is not calculated and included on the student’s transcript as the school feels this too is "distracting " to colleges. His school sends about 30% to Ivies and a bunch more to Stanford, MIT, and the top LACs.</p>
<p>Because of the reputation and rigor of his school, many students with unweighted GPAs less than a 3.0 get into these top schools. There is no shame in a B- or C in AP Junior English at his school. The highest GPA I have seen recorded for any student in this year’s senior class is a 3.6.</p>