<p>Sue22,
Yes, I agree. Seems that some colleges like or don’t like particular HSs.
Here’s another anecdotal example for one of the private HSs with a 1-3% HYPS range. When I looked at their matriculations when HS shopping, it was overwhelmingly LACs. Thus, this HS had either good relationships with these colleges or has a similar ethos that the LACs liked. But some of the parents who enrolled their kids at this HS, who had wanted HYPS, were upset that their kids were getting shuttled or sidelined to the LACs when the college counseling process started. Now that their kids are all at LACs (surprise!), both the parents and kids do seem to be happy.</p>
<p>A different story that I hear from parents whose kids go to the 1-2% HYPS private HSs is that the HS tends to identify which of the kids that they are planning on “grooming” for the 2 spots. Parents will jealously say that these 2 or 3 kids get all sorts of attention and promotion etc to get them there while the average kid might get little attention. Then these 2 kids are (presumably) presented on a platter to the HYPS. Just rumors, of course, nothing is ever corroborated by GCs.</p>