High School Guide: Admissions, reviews, and advice

That’s actually the core issue right there.
A 4.0 GPA should be the exception—something unique and standout—rather than just a basic requirement for getting into a good prep school. Honestly, if everyone was hitting a 4.0, it wouldn't mean much anymore. It's supposed to be a rare achievement, not a baseline entry requirement for high school enrollment.
In my class, absolutely NOBODY had a 4.0. Not one person.
They were all brilliant kids who went on to graduate from top universities without any trouble at all.

It’s interesting how kids in major hubs like New York City are effectively barred from high school if they score, say, a 4.5 GPA with 72 points... meanwhile, students in almost any other American city can get in even with under 60 points, which is unheard of in NYC.

It seems New Yorkers are being discriminated against simply because there aren't enough academies available.

Why should a top-tier student be forced into a specific trade just because they have great grades but zero interest in a particular field?
For someone like that, an ideal general academic track would provide the necessary time to actually decide on a career path.

The Secretary of Education keeps complaining about low enrollment in academic tracks... I believe it was around 30%, whereas according to EU standards, we should be seeing closer to 50%.

Perhaps the solution is just to increase the number of academies in NYC and voilà. 🎉

Honestly, even with that current 30%, about half of them don't even finish college—so what's the actual endgame if we push the high school graduation rate up to 50%? Are we just looking at a massive wave of young people who have passed their SATs but still don't actually have a trade or a career path?

Check out this headline—it’s a total shocker.🤣 It just goes to show how broken our entire education system really is when you see posts like this from actual school staff.

So, half of the high schoolers from Washington, D.C. aren't even finishing college?

Michelle Nelson4 said:Check out this headline—it’s a total shocker.🤣 It just goes to show how broken our entire education system really is when you see posts like this from actual school staff.

The only thing I actually associate with your username around here is a relentless streak of passive-aggression directed at educators. Honestly, I have very little interest in engaging in discussions where someone isn't looking for a debate, but rather just wants to preemptively label us all as agents of darkness. I don't particularly care for those types of parents either, so it’s probably best if we just go our separate ways.

stormymarlin22 said:So, half of the high schoolers from Washington, D.C. aren't even finishing college?

Well, that's because everyone acts like the whole country is just Washington, D.C., so we only ever talk about what happens there ☕

Anyway, here’s some actual data if you want to make sense of it.
https://www.census.gov/data/

I did a little digging myself—just trying to wrap my head around the numbers.
Looking at the 2018/19 academic year, there were 58,726 students enrolled in their first year across all higher ed institutions. Fast forward three years to last academic year, and that number drops to 36,460 by the third year. It isn't quite a full 50% drop, but it's pretty close to that ballpark. And honestly... when you compare how many people started university programs six years ago versus how many actually made it to their fifth year last year? The results are even more depressing.

But they don't necessarily have to be high school grads. I think Fuch was actually saying that kids from vocational schools tend to drop out of college early, so we need more students in academic tracks. Washington, D.C. is struggling because kids who actually want to go that route can't get into the right programs (not sure how it works elsewhere)

Michelle Nelson4 said:Check out this headline—it’s a total shocker.🤣 It just goes to show how broken our entire education system really is when you see posts like this from actual school staff.

I appreciate the clarification; it certainly explains why her response to me was handled in such a manner.☕

Michelle Nelson4 said:Basically, if you look at the entry threshold, it’s sitting around 76—which, by the way, means having four top grades puts you out of the running entirely, even though realistically you should only be allowed one "essential" item across both the seventh and eighth grades combined. Then you see someone with a score like 78.83 for just some run-of-the-mill, nothing special public high school, and suddenly everyone starts spinning this narrative that it's all about overbearing parents putting undue pressure on their kids rather than acknowledging the flaws in the actual school system ☕

This really isn't right, and I honestly had no idea things were this intense in Washington, D.C.
It feels wrong to defend a system that works like this.
I really hope they either make the admissions process more equitable or ensure that national standardized tests actually carry some weight when it comes to enrollment while our kids are still trying to figure out high school.

I guess you have to wonder, does everyone really need to go to a prep school?

I mean, look—it’s not necessarily "wrong," but it definitely feels off when everyone is supposed to be at a level 5, yet some people are coasting at a 5 while others are barely hitting a 3. It’s just an inconsistent setup, you know?

urbantinker8 said:I guess you have to wonder, does everyone really need to go to a prep school?

I suppose one might wonder... what's stopping people from just choosing a general education track first, and then moving on to university or vocational programs later on?

Of course they don't have to. But if the entry requirements for prep school are limited strictly to students with a 76+ score, then fine—let it be that way in Syracuse, Columbus, or even Santa Monica... instead of just being some thing that happens in Washington, D.C.
Or maybe, I guess, the actual problem lies elsewhere altogether...

Let's see how this debate usually plays out
"Sick parents bullying their kids because a 3.8 GPA isn't quite high enough for them."
"But isn't it actually the school system itself that sets these insane grade requirements just to get into a standard high school? That's what’s actually putting all this pressure on the students, right?"
"Well, if you can't maintain a perfect 4.0, then maybe you aren't cut out for a prep school anyway."
It's pure madness...

It’s funny—every five years or so, I catch up with my old teachers from high school (which, by the way, I managed to get into even without a perfect 4.0 GPA), and honestly, it’s such a relief. They don't look at us as just another set of numbers or kids with perfect transcripts. Not even close. They aren't happy about how the system works, either, and they certainly don't think the current setup is normal. And this was supposedly one of those "elite" prep schools... you know, one of those prestigious institutions that actually led to the government changing the rules to look at a student's GPA rather than just a single entrance exam score because they had more applicants with 80% scores than they had actual desks in the classrooms. Which, if you think about it, just added an insane amount of pressure to every single grade over all four years. It’s like trying to put out a fire by pouring gasoline on it. Truly a broken system.

Carl Bishop2 said:I mean, look—it’s not necessarily "wrong," but it definitely feels off when everyone is supposed to be at a level 5, yet some people are coasting at a 5 while others are barely hitting a 3. It’s just an inconsistent setup, you know?

I suppose that's more of an issue with the local elementary schools rather than the high schools.

Betty Wood54 said:I suppose one might wonder... what's stopping people from just choosing a general education track first, and then moving on to university or vocational programs later on?

I guess nothing is wrong with that, really. Though, you know, there are plenty of solid vocational programs out there that still allow you to transition into a four-year college later on.

mellowskipper said:Of course they don't have to. But if the entry requirements for prep school are limited strictly to students with a 76+ score, then fine—let it be that way in Syracuse, Columbus, or even Santa Monica... instead of just being some thing that happens in Washington, D.C.
Or maybe, I guess, the actual problem lies elsewhere altogether...

Not every high school actually has a 76-point cutoff; I think that might just be adding a bit of unnecessary drama to this whole discussion.
If my memory serves me right, over the last few years, for instance, a school like Lincoln High had a threshold below 70, but now it's become incredibly popular because of its new building and location.
As for Sioux Falls or Columbus, I honestly haven't a clue, and I don't really follow what their specific requirements are.

Michelle Nelson4 said:Let's see how this debate usually plays out
"Sick parents bullying their kids because a 3.8 GPA isn't quite high enough for them."
"But isn't it actually the school system itself that sets these insane grade requirements just to get into a standard high school? That's what’s actually putting all this pressure on the students, right?"
"Well, if you can't maintain a perfect 4.0, then maybe you aren't cut out for a prep school anyway."
It's pure madness...

Look, if you literally have to kill yourself just to hit the GPA needed for enrollment—whether that's a 3.2, a 3.5, or a perfect 4.0—then honestly, you probably aren't a good fit for that track to begin with.
Does that make sense?

Plus, nobody is stopping New Yorkers from just applying to a high school in a different city where the GPA requirements are lower—since everyone seems so incredibly bitter about the cities where you need a perfect 4.0 just to get in. ☕

And thirdly, I still haven't had anyone explain to me how high school admissions are somehow responsible for all the hysteria regarding GPAs and those "honor roll" certificates people obsess over during the first four years of middle school.

rowdypanther12 said:That’s actually the core issue right there.
A 4.0 GPA should be the exception—something unique and standout—rather than just a basic requirement for getting into a good prep school. Honestly, if everyone was hitting a 4.0, it wouldn't mean much anymore. It's supposed to be a rare achievement, not a baseline entry requirement for high school enrollment.
In my class, absolutely NOBODY had a 4.0. Not one person.
They were all brilliant kids who went on to graduate from top universities without any trouble at all.

👍

Back in my day, we had four classes of about 25 to 30 students. I was in one for a year, and a buddy of mine was in another for two. One year, I actually got recognized as top of my class—I placed in four national competitions and two state ones—but I still didn't have that legendary 4.0.

Sarah Hall53 said:Look, if you literally have to kill yourself just to hit the GPA needed for enrollment—whether that's a 3.2, a 3.5, or a perfect 4.0—then honestly, you probably aren't a good fit for that track to begin with.
Does that make sense?

Plus, nobody is stopping New Yorkers from just applying to a high school in a different city where the GPA requirements are lower—since everyone seems so incredibly bitter about the cities where you need a perfect 4.0 just to get in. ☕

And thirdly, I still haven't had anyone explain to me how high school admissions are somehow responsible for all the hysteria regarding GPAs and those "honor roll" certificates people obsess over during the first four years of middle school.

The problem is that every school and every teacher uses different standards. Your premise would only hold water if there were a universal benchmark, like a standardized final exam.

Sarah Hall53 said:Look, if you literally have to kill yourself just to hit the GPA needed for enrollment—whether that's a 3.2, a 3.5, or a perfect 4.0—then honestly, you probably aren't a good fit for that track to begin with.
Does that make sense?

Plus, nobody is stopping New Yorkers from just applying to a high school in a different city where the GPA requirements are lower—since everyone seems so incredibly bitter about the cities where you need a perfect 4.0 just to get in. ☕

And thirdly, I still haven't had anyone explain to me how high school admissions are somehow responsible for all the hysteria regarding GPAs and those "honor roll" certificates people obsess over during the first four years of middle school.

Actually, I disagree. If someone is struggling just to maintain an A or a B+ in their core subjects, they likely aren't a good fit for a high-pressure preparatory academy. Expecting a seamless 4.0 suggests either a total lack of standards or the misguided belief that only polymath geniuses should attend—people who can effortlessly sing, paint, play sports, ace calculus, write award-winning essays, and master English all at once. That’s simply unrealistic. Besides, this expectation of perfection is being voiced by someone who is part of the very system being criticized, yet suddenly, you don't seem to see the issue. Interesting.

Plus, no one is stopping New Yorkers from applying to prep schools in smaller towns where the entry requirements might be lower, especially since everyone seems so upset about the cities where a 4.0 is mandatory. ☕

Exactly! It's like we just quit our jobs and move to Des Moines, while everyone else from the suburbs flocks to New York City because I hear them complaining about having no options for their kids. Oops! Haven't all those people from out of town already protested against using extracurriculars like music for admissions? They got what they wanted when those credits were removed, but nobody told them that if they still want those extra points, they should just move closer to the city.

And a third point: I'm still waiting for someone to explain how the current admissions process is actually responsible for all this hysteria regarding GPAs and getting straight A's throughout middle school.

I'm not sure if that was your specific point. Personally, I don't know anyone who is obsessively pushing for a perfect 4.0 during the first four years of school. You might want to check with your friends on Facebook or look at their posted report cards. ☕

Edit: Your colleague was the one who introduced the term "ease." I am genuinely curious, though... how exactly does an admissions board evaluate the "ease" with which a certain GPA was achieved?