Some schools make an effort to publicize then their students do well academically. My D20’s school had the in recently to honor the Juniors who will end up as NMSM and Commended students, along with the one who had a perfect score on the Chemistry AP exam last year (one of 3 worldwide). For a relatively new, small specialized magnet school, with no athletics, this is their way to shine. Otherwise, I think it’s nice to see some emphasis on academic achievements, rather than so much focus on the athletes.