<p>Dealt with this very question recently in our district (our HS weights only very minimally, though it represents itself as very competitive). Rankings at end of junior year do not consistently reflect rigor. Hence kids with most rigorous schedules were not necessarily in top 10%. Interestingly, the top private schools accepted kids with lower GPAs but more rigorous courses, over those who had higher GPA/rank but less rigor, so their adcoms figured it out. Where it mattered and hurt was at the big state U’s and at privates where big scholarships went only to top x%, and rank was absolutely required. </p>
<p>Make sure any GPA distribution data is clearly labelled as to when it was collected (eg, end of junior year for class of 2009). You could also lobby for a grade distribution by subject chart that breaks out AP and honors vs other tracks, if there is grade deflation in the AP/honors courses relative to the easier track. This might be why your daughter was pulled down in rankings, but such a chart would clarify this. Or ask her GC to indicate in the recommendation that her grades were in the top x% within the honors/AP track, and that she had taken the most rigorous courseload in the class. </p>
<p>Finally, our HS does NOT fill in the portion of the Common App that asks for rank or decile/quartile estimates, and kids get accepted to highly selective colleges regardless. About half of HS’s don’t release rank anymore. Some do but only if required for scholarships. Find out your schools policy. </p>
<p>Half of colleges and U’s out there recalculate GPA, half don’t.</p>