<p>^^^Yes. There is the “elite” private HS that gets 10-15 students in to Stanford every year (out of a class of about 80, many of whom don’t apply). There are a few other top high schools, and in the private middle schools in my area the race to get in to such schools mimics the college admissions process in many ways. Must have excellent grades, good teacher recs, strong extracurriculars, ace the essays and interview… things get very contentious right around now as acceptances come in. I did this process as an 8th grader and I have to say it would have been just as stressful as the college process had I applied to the same number of colleges and high schools (I applied to more colleges). I ended up choosing the public magnet with the AP program over the elite private, but such a culture worshiping the elite private high schools IS very, very evident in many places across the country. And many who can’t afford the privates aim fro the public magnet I attend, which still asks for grades and scores on a test in evaluating candidates. It accepts about 700 from 1900 applicants, so the process is very competitive and stressful for 8th graders. If you don’t go to this public school you’re looking at a HS where you’re prohibited from wearing certain colors b/c they’re gang colors…</p>