<p>Heck, my D's HS, a Boston area PUBLIC school, sent 12 kids to Harvard last year, out of about 450 in the senior class. That's almost 3%. And keep in mind that the local public school takes anyone who can afford rent in the town or pay the property taxes. It is not a magnet school, but it did have 15 merit finalists in the toughest state to qualify. If the school had been in the south or midwest, with their lower SI, it would have had about 40 finalists.</p>
<p>Regarding Andover matriculation preferences, the preferences are a great example of how regional higher ed still is. I wonder, for example, if you'd find a lot more Harvard Westlake alums at west coast colleges?</p>