Which is better to 10% public high school or 50% prep school?

Applying to College
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<p>MidwestMom2Kids_ :</p>

<p>The GOODness of the public high schools is probably all over the map. We live in an affluent area. Our local high school is considered very good but not excellent. Stats as follows:</p>

<p>Graduating class >500
% local: 50%
% bussed in from overcrowded schools: 50%</p>

<h1>college counselors: 4</h1>

<p>% attending 4 yr. colleges: 50%
% attending 2 yr. colleges: 45%</p>

<h1>attending to HYPSM form '07 graduating class: 6 : 0/3/0/2/1</h1>

<h1>Attending Berkeley/UCLA: 18/15</h1>

<p>Mean SAT scores (of students who also took SAT IIs): high 500s</p>

<h1>of AP tests taken (old data) : 1100</h1>

<h1>scoring 5: 17%</h1>

<p>% scoring 4: 24%
% scoring 3: 29%
for a total pass rate of 70%, across 20 AP subject tests.</p>

<p>I can only estimate the high school stats of the local kids. Their scoring is easily tracked through state testing up through 5th grade, where the local kids score on average in the upper 80s percentile in state scoring. In high school, with half local and half bussed, scores are in the mid 70s in comparison to the state of California.</p>

<p>I'm not sure where to get data that would tell me about how this AP pass rate compares to other schools, but it concerns me a little that only 17% achieve 5 scores, and 30% score only 1 or 2.</p>

<p>This is why I posted above that in such an evironment, where a student will spend time with and absorb values and influence from other students not highly academically oriented, the parents should step in to help define goals and acceptable performance standards... else, going with the flow could severely reduce a student's options with regard to elite colleges. Further, if the preparation is only of average quality, even a top 10% student will find themselves in a world of hurt at an elite college in class with high achieveing students from demanding prep schools or very good public high schools.</p>

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<p>I met an interesting young man two nights ago whose experience is germane to this topic.</p>

<p>He attended a small, private high school in the Bay Area. He is a heavily recruited athlete (top 1 or 2 for most schools) in a non-revenue sport (meaning he had no advantage with the adcom). He was Stanford's #2 recruit.</p>

<p>His SATs were 800 math, 680 verbal. He had excellent relationships at Stanford cultivated over 6 years, as he plays the most demanding position in his sport. </p>

<p>His class rank was about 30% at a famous, small prep school in northern California.</p>

<p>Though he had the athletic hook, he was not admitted to Stanford. He was also rejected at UCLA, and accepted full ride at USC. His SATs are above the 75th % at USC.</p>

<p>He was told by the Stanford adcom and other relationships there that had he been applying from the top 10% from the well regarding local Public High Schook, Menlo Atherton, he would have been a sure admit. </p>

<p>He learned that even at a prestigious prep school, not being closer to the top of the rank knocked him out. </p>

<p>He has no regrets, by the way. He is certain that the educational value of his time at this prestigous prep school has better prepared him for life and college, than would have the local Public HS even as Val, Sal or top 5%.</p>

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<p>correction -- he was informed if he had been top 5% from the public...</p>

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<p>i think the private school experience is only fully worthwhile if you feel that your kid has the baseline smarts and discipline to succeed in such an environment. as a private school kid, i'm certainly not in the top ten percent of my class (of less than eighty kids), and still made it to an ivy on demonstrated passions in art and writing, with good test scores that helped to alleviate a less-than-stellar gpa; the colleges do keep in mind the rigour of private schools, though only if the private school is, in fact, rigorous. </p>

<p>i will also say that being surrounded by such focused, ambitious kids drove me to work harder (or maybe just threw my slacker ways in brighter contrast?), and that the teachers i've had have consistently forced me to think critically about issues outside the academic bubble. our ap physics teacher spends half the time talking about literature and current events, yet i can't think of a person who hasn't thoroughly learned, or at least been given the opportunity to learn, the course material (granted, our class consists of five other people).</p>

<p>being intellectually challenged like that is amazing, and i think it is appreciated in college apps, whether it be recs from teachers who've seen your grow from year to year, or an unusual, well-written essay. the most concrete bonus is the huge emphasis on writing skills; i cite the time my friend from a local, competitive public school submitted my eighth grade english essay as his own (i sent it to him to proof-read, naively), and received an A- in 10th grade versus my B- in eighth. suffice it say that your writing improves immensely with that under your butt.</p>

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<p>I would caution against choosing a public school. I had to attend a mediocre public one simply because I could not afford a private school. Aside from a couple certain AP courses with unusually great instructors, my teachers don't truly put the effort to stimulate/motivate me. My situation is almost exactly like awan0126, where I am the the valedictorian of a class of ~400 and feel like most of my teachers have not significantly prepared me for college work. I, too, will be going to wharton next year. To those few teachers that have been great [who also happened to be the ones who wrote my recommendations], however, I will forever be grateful!</p>

<p>In Sum: You can get into an Ivy if you're at the top of your public school class. Unless you go to a top public and are lucky enough to get the great teachers, however, you can bet that you won't be pushed to your potential.</p>

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<p>wharton4life -- Public seems to have worked for you. It is enough that you will be "pushed to your potential" at Wharton.</p>