<p>For HPY, Pizzagirl, the kids need to be one of the very top students, like val or sal. It’s only for the most rigorous high schools, that kids beyond that are selected unless they have some true hook that the school wants. </p>
<p>They do have thresh holds for grades and testscores, and once you are within a certain category, they do move on to the next. In the more selective schools, it is often things other than just the grades that get you in. The grades are pretty much taken for granted. If your gpa is low, you don’t even make it to consideration of other things, unless you are a “flagged” applicant where you have talents that are desirable enough that your other attributes are viewed in the light of the talent or situation rather than the other way around.</p>