<p>No, I don’t think it would be a “waste” to apply ED. It’s likely just not the right candidates have applied from your school - and applying ED shows commitment and interest that Duke would definitely take into consideration. Duke does not have a quota on a per school or even per region basis. </p>
<p>Having said that, I had a similar situation with my high school and Brown. All the other Ivies accepted a fair number of students, but it seemed like Brown would reject everybody. I suppose it’s possible the regional admissions counselor at Brown responsible for the area didn’t like our high school and as he/she has to sign off on basically every applicant. More likely, though, they were looking for a particular type of applicant for my high school that just happened to never apply - perhaps an artsy one, for example. </p>
<p>Having heard Guttentag talk several times, I’m pretty sure Duke does not do this and they would accept 50 people from the same high school if they thought they brought a wide array of skills and talents. If they think you can contribute positively to the class and Duke community and are strong academically, you will be accepted. They don’t have some vendetta against your high school, but they DO likely have some perspective on your high school. That is, if your high school is wealthy and offers a lot of opportunities, they expect to see that you’ve taken advantage of those opportunities, pushed yourself, and succeeded. I also applied ED to Pratt from the Midwest. Being a girl also helps you a bit. Good luck.</p>