<p>The truly competitive schools are no sham. I have a cousin in TJHSST, a big magnet in Virginia, and he says their AVERAGE SAT score is in the 2100s. BTW, I think tests like the amc and aime are far better indicators of intelligence than the SATs. I'm the first to admit I'm no genius, but I'm what you'd call a good standardized test taker and my SAT scores are higher than people who're a hell of a lot smarter than me(ie. USAMO qualifiers who got into MIT)? However, in fields that are better indicators of intellect like contest math and science research, my achievements pale in comparison to theirs and that's why they're at schools I've got no shot at. Look how many USAMO qualifiers and science contest winners the big magnets and privates produce and you'll see what a "sham" they are.</p>
<p>"Granted, there aren't private schools or magnet schools, but really, how many urban kids go to those? Only the richest ones. And the smart kids at a school aren't necessarily the rich ones."</p>
<p>Not true at all.
Well, sort of but to make my point...</p>
<p>Magnet schools are free, and the ones I know have free buses to a wide variety of places outside the district.</p>
<p>Lots of people go to private schools, especially in areas where the publics are absolutely terrible.
While some private schools can cost over $30,000 in tuition per year (see northeast), lots are between 5 and 15 (and in these areas, taxes are commonly much lower than would be expected, so it makes up for the cost of schooling).</p>
<p>I know plenty of people who go to private schools and their families would not be considered "wealthy" or "rich". Middle class, certainly; and of course there's always financial aid.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Maybe it's like that in the rurals where there is only one high school every fifty miles, but in more urban areas, you have a selection.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Um, I live around Columbus, 15th largest city in the US, so definitely not rural. But actually, I think you can choose where you go to school in Columbus City Schools, but only where you're school sucks really bad. But yea, I have no control over what school I go to, unless I move. And even in districts with more than one school, you still have only have one choice.</p>
<p>Well, just adding my two cents, but "competitive" in the basic sense of the word does not equal "smart", it just means cut-throat, at least to me.</p>
<p>My private school (and actually my town's public school) is VERY competitive but its average sat score is around the new york average...it doesn't necessarily have smart people, but it has people willing to cheat and do anything to get straight A's. </p>
<p>On the other hand, the school with the smartest people in my area is very NOT competitive---its average sat score is 1450, and regularly has its top 10% at an ivy, and the next 10% at mit, stanford.</p>
<p>I don't know about competitiveness in school in general...whether pro or con, but I hate how people try to make everyone feel good all the time. like all the kids get trophies in a race because they all "did there best", that's ridiculous! How does that give you a drive to try harder? I also heard that in some place the don't want teachers to use red pens, so as to not hurt kids feelings but instead using purple how ridiculous is that? I'm sorry, but if you get a bad grade on a test, you should feel bad, that's how you learn and step it up later.</p>
<p>So true. Last year, anyone who got As throughout highschool was a valedictorian at my highschool regardless of their courseload. There were like 40 vals out of a class of 500, and some of them had never even taken an honors or AP class.</p>
<p>Competitive public high schools are pretty much a myth. The only thing that makes them more competitive is the size, since a larger school will have more top students and more AP classes.</p>