My son attends a small private college prep high school. His current GPA hovers around 77. The guidance counselor showed me the academic profile they send to colleges along with students official transcripts.
This info from 2017’s graduating class shows there were 29 kids in the graduating class and 10 of them had a GPA of below 80%. That seems like a lot of really low averages. Am I wrong? Is that normal?
I know my son’s class info will be different, but assuming the stats are about the same, how would admission counselors view my son’s (low) GPA in light of this?
Would they think this is a pretty difficult school? Would they give him more leeway than if his average was 77 coming from a large public high school?
Colleges look at each high school in context. They know if the school is selective, rigorous, etc. It’s also tough when a class is small so standing in a class may not be so important.
My experience at a tough grading school is that yes, most colleges “get” it. At a large uni that admits on stats that isn’t familiar with your school, you are probably at a disadvantage though.
We were told that it can be helpful to take AP or IB exams if you are likely to score well. If a student scores a 5 on an exam in a course for which he earned a B-, it can help confirm that the grading is tough and may not relate to mastery of the material.
Note as well that if the grades are improving, even in senior year, this can help. Not all kids hit the ground running. Colleges realize they are getting the senior, not the freshman.
I agree with @gardenstategal. My S goes to a small private HS, and in discussing colleges with the college counselor there, she was clear that there are schools that have a relationship with our HS, and schools that don’t (the big state schools). She said that there is nothing wrong with applying to the big state universities, but that we need to be aware that my S’s record will be looked at differently there than at the colleges that know our HS. We are taking her advice and looking at the schools she suggests, but also putting in some of the other schools as well, because they are strong in S’s intended major. We will see how it pans out.