<p>Hi,
My high school is not known for its academic readiness. The students tend to score very low on standardized tests and other similar measures. However, it's only recently that I realized how low the standards tend to be. </p>
<p>For example, I earned a 28 on the ACT this April and I was pretty disappointed. Considering how everyone on CC seems to earn 30+ scores, I though it was pretty bad. But I was surprised by how poorly my classmates did on that test. I haven't met anybody who's earned anything higher than a 20. They think I got an amazing score and they wouldn't take it again it if they got that score. These aren't underachieving students; they take honors classes and are looking to go to college yet they did so poorly on this test. Also, I remember my school newspaper did an article on the only student to earn a 5 on an AP test in the school. We have about 16 hundred students so I don't know if that's bad or not.</p>
<p>I suppose it just means that the students don't do well at standardized tests and not necessarily that they're poor students, but it really surprised me. Anyone else go to a school like this?</p>
<p>20 isn’t all that bad. It’s average, maybe a little below but not much. Most people don’t plan to go to a selective college, so there’s no particular reason for them to prepare for these tests. (And taking honors classes doesn’t really mean much in my experience. Basically anyone who cares about school at all takes honors classes.)</p>
<p>“don’t do well at standardized tests and not necessarily that they’re poor students”</p>
<p>If someone gets good grades and bad test scores, my first conclusion would be that their school has a lot of grade inflation. If it were just about being a “bad test-taker,” they’d do badly on classroom tests as well.</p>
<p>I go to a non-competitive school, and it’s benefited me a lot. The guidance counselors are really impressed by my test scores and they basically let me do whatever I want academically, and I can actually learn in my classes and contribute to discussions without trying to compete with someone else.</p>
<p>I go to a Catholic HS so we do pay 12,000 a year. Our mean ACT is only 21, though. I take Advanced classes (the highest level other than AP, essentially honors) so in my program I feel like everyone is smart (I got a 30 this year on the ACT). In the lower programs it does seem like those people are wasting their 12,000 in tuition. I do have to admit quite a few Advanced students are happy with a 26 and a scholarship to a state school.</p>
<p>My school is the same exact way. I didn’t even recognize it until I joined CC though. I can’t even imagine going to a school like some of the ones people talk about on here. Makes me wish I went to a different school.</p>
<p>My school almost sounds like yours, thelogicalzebra. It wasn’t until I found CC that realized that my school has a pretty low bar.</p>
<p>We have decent honors programs but the school is slashing some AP classes next year since a lot of students don’t sign up. My school is more famous for its ELL courses than anything else due to our large minority population. </p>
<p>My school is the type where there are opportunities to learn and escape this town but only if you take them and work hard.</p>
<p>My High school is ghetto as it can be. It is filled with students, 70% of whom get free lunches (including me), and the only reason they are at school is because the law forces them to. When I got my psat scores in my sophomore year (1750), they were awed, thought I was a genius or something. I also live in a city that is named in the top 10 most dangerous city in the US. With all its deficiencies, I must say, I love my schools AP policy. They offer 14 AP classes, completely free of charge, allowing those who want to take the opportunity to leap ahead the chance to do so. My school, considering how much I slammed, still sends 3 or more kids to HYPSM. Which shows, school is what you make of it, life is what you make of it. Don’t worry about where you go or what your conditions are, be the best you can be and you will excel.</p>
<p>In each class, like 100 or so are motivated students and take AP classes (100 out of 500-some); few take more than one AP. There’s a dedicated 50 students or so in each class who take more than one in their high school career. That’s not to say the other 400-some students aren’t smart, as many are, but as far as taking challenging classes, not too many. As for the school itself, there are definitely some good teachers (all of the AP and DE ones are great) but average SAT score is only like 1500, ACT is like 21 or so.</p>
<p>Those who attend college (25% go on to a 4 year one, 30% go on to a 2 year) go to community college or local colleges for the most part, or sometimes OOS to a small college. I think like 3 years ago we had someone get into MIT. Someone this year got into the Naval Academy.</p>
<p>My school is weird…the average SAT score is around a 1700, but not many students get that scores- either people get 1500s or 1900s+. No middle ground here. Either someone takes 4+ APs by the end of their senior year, or none at all. I guess because of this, we aren’t exactly known as a ‘smart school’.</p>
<p>“Basically anyone who cares about school at all takes honors classes.”
That is very true. The regular classes are full of apathetic, noisy students. I can’t imagine that they’ve passed their previous classes with anything higher than a D considering how unmotivated they are.</p>
<p>I think part of the reason the students score so low on the ACT is that they’re unfamiliar with test’s format and content. They seem too lazy to even research what’s it will test. I have a friend who’s taking the ACT in June and she didn’t even know the ACT’s test sections. They’re really unprepared.</p>
<p>I go to a public school that is known for its ghetto-ness, and I hate it with a passion. I have one regular class (Algebra) and everyone is so unmotivated. I’m moving to honors next year, thankfully. Gah. I just don’t understand how you can go through school and not give a crap about passing even your core classes. I also once witnessed two guys (who were friends) planning to fight each other to get an out-of-school suspension on purpose. Honestly?!</p>
<p>My school is also below average for the ACT and just reading and math in general. Out of 450 freshmen, only about 60 were above-average and placed in Honors Geography. I could go on for hours about all the reasons my school sucks, but I’ll just leave it at that…</p>
<p>haha I attend a boarding school so I luckily don’t go to school around my neighborhood. The average SAT score is a 1109 out of 2400…not sure how I am not like the dumbsh**s in my neighborhood lol.</p>
<p>I attended a non-competitive school called “home”.</p>
<p>Competive academically? Eh…a little. Competive sports? YES</p>
<p>I attend a large, mediocre public school that is unfortunately situated in the middle of a very competitive area. We have over 2,000 students.</p>
<p>It’s working out okay for me though because the school actually offers a lot of APs and has some pretty decent teachers in the mix. My counselor loves me and lets me take whatever classes I want. A decent number of 5’s are earned on the AP exams each year, some SAT scores above 2000 but not many. You just have to find the right crowd.</p>
<p>Lol, everyone was amazed by my 2000 flat on the SAT. When I said I wanted to retake it to get at least a 2250 they looked at me like I had grown an extra head or something.</p>
<p>I have smart people in my school; they just don’t know how to apply themselves.</p>
<p>A score of 25 or above on the ACT is considered good at my school. When this past year’s valedictorian got 34, everyone treated him like a god.</p>
<p>So no, they’re not very competitive in academia.
In sports, they’re pretty competitive, especially in football and cross country.</p>
<p>The swim team does pretty well also.</p>
<p>I guess it’s better for us, huh? We stand out further.</p>
<p>My school is weird. I would say most kids are satisfied with 1800+ but some kids get lower some get higher</p>
<p>I considered my high school pretty tough…it’s #6 in Indiana according to US News. </p>
<p>However, the average SAT scores are about 1600 combined, ACT about 25. Good but not anything really special.</p>
<p>However, our school has very competitive honors classes and my class (rising junior) is especially competitive academically. I wouldn’t call it “grade deflation” as what you earn is what you earn and the averages well above a C, but getting an A at our school is harder than at most in Indiana. (One of our science teachers was amazed that we had Honors classes with a low B/B- average for a grade. He said that Honors classes at other top schools in the state had a B±type average and had a lot of curves, which our school does not) </p>
<p>IMO, going to a competitive school is good and bad. It’s really hard to stand out here. There are 5 people in my grade who will be taking AP Calc as a junior and we had 6 or so people get 215+ on the PSAT as a sophomore without preparation(myself included for each). I doubt I would have accomplished either if I went to a less-competitive school system because I likely would have learned less. On the flip side, I’d likely stand out more there.</p>
<p>We’re also competitive athletically as a grade, too. </p>
<p>For CC standards, I don’t know where my school ranks, though.</p>