What defines a competitive high school?

Applying to College
1

<p>I am curious to know what defines a competitive high school in CA.
What is the criteria? </p>

<p>Please help. Thank you.</p>

2

<p>blue ribbon
california distinguised school
high # of admits to HYPSM
lots of APs offered
IB
smart kids separated from dumb ones
etc…</p>

3

<p>blue ribbon?</p>

4

<p>Bue Ribbon Award is now known as No Child Left Behind. Our high school has the distinct honor of being the only high school to have won the award 3 years in a row.</p>

5

<p>Check out this post on the Parents forum: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/531140-competitive-high-school.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/531140-competitive-high-school.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

6

<p>“smart kids separated from dumb ones” - none of second category exist in competitive school, they either transfer out very quickly or get their act together and start taking their studies seriously, realizing that school is going to adjust to their bad habits.</p>

7

<p>Basically what Siglio said. Magnet schools, vocational school, etc. There’s a yearly ranking from US New & World Report that’s pretty good, I think Newsweek does a ranking too.</p>

8

<p>when you can’t do your homework for a class the period before</p>

9

<p>or during passing/nutrition/lunch</p>

<p>or during the period itself</p>

<p>or bsing it because you know the TA that grades it</p>

10

<p>If you’re interested in rankings/lists, I believe the Wall Street Journal also has one.</p>

<p>But mostly, it’s a strong student body. You can have schools that offer 30+ APs, but if no one takes them or the median score is a 2, you’re not as competitive as a school where if you take the AP class, you’re expected to receive a 4 or a 5 on the exam.</p>

<p>Personally, I believe college admissions tell much more of a story than the number of AP/IB classes offered. Average SAT scores could be helpful as well; basically, standardized tests can help tell you how strong a student body is compared to another student body.</p>

11

<p>I think a school can also be defined as competitive by its student body. I know that, at mine, the average GPA is around a C, but the top 20% or so are very competitive, often taking multiple AP classes, and participating a lot in different organizations and teams. I don’t think it’s necessarily # of APs or # of admits to HYPS.</p>

12

<p>Just look at the Av. SAT score and the matriculation</p>

13

<p>What is a high average SAT score for a school? My school’s is 1950–is that high?</p>