<p>D #1 went to a public school where she managed to get mostly As and Bs in "demanding courses" without really killing herself. She got into a top tier college. D #2 goes to a independent college prep school and really, really works to get solid Bs. The two girls are both equally bright and motivated, so that's not the issue. I think it's simply more difficult to get As in a demanding private school than in a big regional public school.</p>
<p>My question: Will college admissions officers take the kind of school a kid went to into account or is a B a B. There seems to be so much emphasis on GPA, and I worry that I made a mistake by encouraging my younger girl to go to a private institution if that's going to make it more difficult to get into a good college.</p>
<p>Anyone have any thoughts on this?</p>
<p>from what i understand, colleges always consider the school's reputation before making any conclusions about GPA. afterall a 3.8 from Horace Mann and Trinity is very different from a 3.8 from a school in kansas, even if the students take the same courses. That is where class rank, when provided, comes in handy. </p>
<p>I dont think its an issue of private versus public, but more so one of grade inflation. There are also many public schools which do not grade inflate, and colleges definitely take it into consideration. </p>
<p>thus it depends on the school(s).</p>
<p>I agree that the issue isn't private vs. public schools, but academically competitive vs. non-competitive schools. </p>
<p>Here in California, adcoms may look at a school's Academic Performance Index (API), what percentage of students in the graduating class are UC/CSU eligible, how many AP courses are offered, what percentage of the graduating class attends a 4-year college, and other indicators.</p>
<p>Adcoms will also take into consideration what classes the applicant actually takes. I know students whose gpa is high because they take many "soft subjects" while staying away from the more challenging math, science, honors and AP courses.</p>