<p>What you describe seems very typical for high schools with students who come from highly educated families. The students are smarter than the students at most high schools. They were brought up with parents who spoke proper English, supplemented their school lessons, reviewed their homework, and read to them and got them into enrichment activities.</p>
<p>The students know what to do to get into college. They also have excellent guidance counselors and teachers. Their parents also put their kids on track for college from an early age. The parents are active in PTA/PTO and effectively complain when teachers and staff are mediocre. </p>
<p>88% of the students in my own public high school went to colleges, typically tier 1 or tier 2 ones – for the same reasons that exist at your school.</p>