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You need to consider the difference in both selectivity of the high school and number of applicants to Stanford. For example, I mentioned TJ earlier in this thread. TJ is a magnet HS in Virginia with an acceptance rate of ~15%. Acceptance to TJ is based on GPA, test scores, LOR, essays, similar to the criteria colleges use. Students attending TJ are among the best in the region, based on a criteria similar to what colleges use, so it’s not surprising that they have a large number of acceptances at selective colleges compared to other HSs in the region. However, this larger number of acceptances does not indicate that a particular applicant who attended TJ has a better chance of acceptance than a similar applicant who attended a different public HS. </p>
<p>It’s similar for number of applications. Top students who attend elite private HSs are far more likely to apply to elite private colleges than students who attend basic public HSs. So one would expect elite private HSs to have a larger number acceptances to elite private colleges that one would expect based on the academic quality of the student body. However, this does indicate that a particular applicant who attended the elite private HS has a better chance of acceptance than a similar applicant who attended a different HS.</p>
<p>Stanford makes a strong effort to admit students from a variety of backgrounds, including those who do not fit the typical elite private/magnet HS background. ~15% of this year’s entering class were first generation college students. ~17% received Pell Grants (Pell Grant recipients have a median income of $30k/yr). Both groups are unlikely to have an elite HS background. </p>
<p>Students from backgrounds with less opportunities sometimes are accepted with weaker stats than many on this site would expect, suggesting than Stanford considers their more difficult background. For example, a few years ago, a poster on CC who attended a basic HS in an area of Stockton that had noteworthy crime was a member of this forum. He overcame a difficult background including a teenage mother, incarcerated father, and relative being murdered while he was in college. His test scores were towards the top of his HS, but were not great, including a 24/25 math/science ACT. He was accepted to Stanford as a first generation college student, graduated with top honors, and became a city council member in Stockton in an effort to improve his home town. More about his background is at [About</a> Michael](<a href=“http://mdtubbs.com/about/]About”>About Michael – Michael Tubbs) .</p>
<p>I was accepted to Stanford from a basic, public HS that only had 1-2 HYPSM acceptances per year, and had no prior students matriculating to Stanford that I was aware of. However, the HS was in upstate NY, so it likely had few Stanford apps compared to HYPM and few that would have chosen Stanford over a closer, highly selective private colleges in the northeast.</p>