<p>The private schools here that send the most kids to HYPS never adopted AP in the first place. Some kids take the tests, but the schools pretty resolutely refuse to teach to the tests or to brand their courses. However, the “good” public schools, urban and suburban, that also send kids to HYPS, are AP/IB crazy.</p>
<p>As for grade-grubbing, monydad is right: AP tests have nothing to do with grades, grades have everything to do with class rank and GPA, colleges care about class rank and GPA, ambitious kids think colleges care even more than they do, ambitious kids grub grades (sometimes even when they don’t mean to). My son tried to stay out of that trap, and mostly succeeded, but sometimes not.</p>