<p>I think mortagebkr just made a case for the exact opposite. Most schools rank using a weighted GPA to make a distinction between a student who has a low GPA but took hard (Honors, AP) courses and one with a higher GPA that took less rigorous classes. </p>
<p>Case in point, our local public high school which is considered academically excelling by state stds. ranks by weighted GPA and publishes to parents that a student with a 4.0 GPA that does not have a higher weighted GPA (meaning they never took Honors, or AP) falls at ~ the top 25% rank. It takes As in demanding courses to be in the top of the class. </p>
<p>Coaches at academically demanding schools will ask for both weighted and un-weighed averages and most admissions departments reference a school summary report that the guidance office provides to be able to compare grades and rank from one school to another.</p>