I keep reading about others’ high schools being very competitive. How would I determine whether my school is competitive as well? It is a public school in the suburbs of Philadelphia (just to get an idea). Thanks.
<p>You would probably know if you are attending a good, competitive high school. However, there are often lists and different rankings of high schools. Try to find one for your specifc suburb or perhaps all of philadelphia.</p>
<p>Is there some sort of website I can refer to? Principles at our school tell us that we're a good high school, but sometimes I wonder whether it's true or just propaganda. Thanks.</p>
<p>I'm not sure if any websites..Sorry!</p>
<p>I don't live in Pennsylvania, but I did a quick search on Google and apparently PA schools have to take the PSSA.. just look at your school's score, and compare it against any high school you've heard of being "competitive."</p>
<p>On the same webpage, PA has been nice enough to input average SAT scores of all high schools in the state- you can access the pdf or Excel document here (along with the PSSA scores): <a href="http://www.pde.state.pa.us/pas/cwp/view.asp?a=3&Q=95497&a_and_tNav=%7C">http://www.pde.state.pa.us/pas/cwp/view.asp?a=3&Q=95497&a_and_tNav=|</a></p>
<p>Looking at my high school's average SAT scores for 2001, it was 1097, if you want to compare it against my school. It's a California public school that I'd rate as "competitive." Hope that helped!</p>
<p>TTG</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I looked on my school's website, and the national mean on the SAT for the class of 2004 was 508V/518M, and our school's average was 521V/543M. I suppose we are above average. Would top-tier colleges know of our school? One person went to MIT (class of '10), about three went to Cornell, three to Penn, and about five got admitted into JHU. In addition, there was one person who will be attending UVA.
Also, how do I know whether there is grade inflation at my high school or not? What is it exactly? Is it a combination of curved grades and/or easier tests? Thanks.</p>
<p>P.S.- Also, how do those numbers (number of students that go to top-tier colleges) compare with other public high schools? There are about 600 students per grade, but the most recent graduating class how about 550.</p>
<p>Most competitive colleges have your school's profile on file. Will the admissions officials go, "Ooh! It's such-and-such school from Philadelphia?" Probably not, but your schools looks to have a decent track record at getting schools into good colleges. Your best bet, if you're looking into upper-tier schools, is follow in the footsteps of schools that have historically accepted students from your school (it seems Cornell, Penn, and JHU are popular).</p>
<p>Grade inflation isn't something that is taken on consciously by any school, because no school can coordinate all teachers to give lenient grades to all students. But if you have some inkling that it does exist, your best bet is to look at class ranks, especially if it's numbered ranks as opposed to deciles, quartiles, blah blah blah. If you have a 4.6 GPA and ranked only 30th or something, then yeah, it's a good indication that inflation exists. However, if you have a 4.6 GPA and ranked very high, then the numbers match and your are good to go. Best of luck,</p>
<p>TTG</p>
<p>It's on par with what you'd expect from a competitive high school. (Response to post #7)</p>