<p>The argument that since Stanford is in Palo Alto that a significant number of acceptances are children of Stanford faculty and staff is not as convincing as it would be regarding Ithaca for Cornell. Palo Alto is in the midst of a large highly educated metropolis. It is home to many Silicon Valley executives, and high-level engineers. The demographics are the more likely reason, and also the propensity of many Californians to apply in California for college, and the small number of academic private schools in the area. I would expect to see similar statistics for public high schools in Cupertino, Saratoga, and Los Gatos. These are communities with similar demographics.</p>
<p>What is especially interesting is that the acceptance rate for 2010 to Stanford if far lower than in 2009 and in previous years. Stanford is becoming even more selective!</p>