I think GPA is a hard measure to use because of the common reasons cited - grade inflation, varying standards. But also, in the age of accommodations, it’s hard to tell who is coming through having done the work independently (nt to mention parents doing their kids’ work!). Some districts around here are over 50% IEP. Some schools do a great job of providing tools for the student to utilize independently instead of a quick fix that is highly dependent on adult help/accommodation but I have seen crazy situations of kids getting into highly competitive schools with very serious learning disabilities. Unless a student discloses, a college won’t necessarily be able to tell that everything they had to write in HS was the result of heavy, heavy tutoring and dictated or that they had a reader for their books because their own reading fluency was too poor. Those are extreme examples but a friend who teaches HS tells me she is not allowed to not give good grades. The students have to have as many chances to “make things up” as possible with test redo’s and extra credit. She is in a wealthy, Blue Ribbon district and her number one complaint is lack of rigor - it’s forbidden. I had close contact with a guy at a selective technology school recently who could not read forms or craft a simple email. He was functionally illiterate. He must have been shooed along somehow. I have no idea how he got through HS let alone how he will get through a selective college.