My two cents: the false notion that there are only a handful of sufficiently rigorous schools is dangerous and leads to soul crushing disappointment in many young hopefuls – there is more of a risk of that happening if your high stats kid only applies to acronym schools vs. a kid being unhappy in a presumed “safety” that has been vetted by the family in advance. Sure, don’t apply to a school you hate, but don’t hate a school because of its average SSAT score, either. People take that shortcut all the time, with devastating results.
What is “rigor”, anyway? Is it a large school with lots of advanced classes that few students actually ever take? Or is it a small school that can tailor-make a curriculum for a particularly advanced kid? Is it tough grading? Is it a school that burns and stresses kids out? Is it code for “excellent college matriculation”? Is it a school that has more than its share of kids who were already accomplished by 8th grade? Is it a fiercely competitive student body? Or is it a school that takes a kid with potential and gives them the push they need to be truly great at their talent? Rigor is honestly quite a fuzzy concept – and different schools go about rigor in different ways. As do kids. One kid’s “safety” can ALSO be just the right kind of rigorous. Another kid’s rigorous school can shut that kid’s potential right down.
Fit is not NOT the antithesis of rigor.