8/23/25 SAT scores out

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread seems to have a lot of "perfect GPA/ high rigor" kids who are surprised their kids are scoring in the 1300-1400 range (still a great score)!

I think what this shows is that grading standards at high schools (especially public ones) have become so inflated that GPA is a barely meaningful metric any more. Also demonstrates the folly of test optional policies.

Every high school is different. Every kid is different. Test scores should not be dispositive in the admissions context, but it is undeniably useful to have a single uniform and unbiased metric for all kids in the admissions pool (if only to normalize the wildly different quality and grading standards across high schools).

It's also helpful for students to understand their own strengths and weaknesses.

Another +1

In our school (a top private outside DMV), it’s quite common for a junior to get 1470-1550 in their first try, some after trying in 10th grade and getting 1430+, yet none of these kids has ever experienced a 4.0 in their life. They often have 3.7-3.85 GPAs. And before anyone says they must have tests prep tutors to achieve those high SATs, I can tell you our DCs didn’t and you have to then also ask why couldn’t those same tutors help them get the elusive 4.0.

I think schools that inflate GPAs have shot themselves in the foot because they invite college admissions to question the rigor of their curriculum. And when a school sends in 60 applications same year all with indistinguishable 4.0, top rigor, multiple club leaderships and school awards, the easiest way for admissions officers is to reject all of them.

Last year, 5 kids out of 110 in our school cracked 3.9 for their GPA; they all got into HYPMS, as did some with 3.85-3.89.

When you have an entrance exam to get into the high school, you can't take credit for the school's amazing SAT scores. My DD's school is the same way. But these girls all killed it in 8th grade on their entrance test. Not surprising they're high SAT scorers, too.

You misunderstood my point. My point was not that the school alone was responsible for high SAT scores. I was simply echoing OR who thought the frequent cases of super high GPA + lower SAT show many schools, esp public high schools, grade inflate. Whenever we hear on this board someone has a 4.0 GPA yet was shut out from T20, often they are from these same high schools, never from schools that only give 5 kids a 3.9. My point is top colleges have also caught on to the rampant grade inflation and the grade inflation may have backfired because it invites questions on the HS’s rigor if everyone could get a 4.0 yet those same kids couldn’t crack 1450.

THIS. Or the valedictorians from upper middle class publics with 1350, 1380, and mostly 3s because"no one gets 5s on AP" yet the private school has kids who did not crack the top 20% for GPA(cum laude) yet had 1550 and mostly 5s, JHU ED for Engineering and got in as they should (my nephew). Then people think it is unfair --no it is a better education and much less inflation; AO's know this.

This is not a thing.

The ridiculous stories private school parents tell themselves

It absolutely IS a thing to have valedictorians get 1300s and poor AP scores at so called top publics. I personally know two from different high schools in the same region of Virginia, class of 23 and 24.

Absolutely not at top public schools. The tippy-top students at top public schools run circles around private school students. I do believe there’s a lot of myth making happening here. I agree there are 4.0 students with 1300 SATs, but those aren’t valedictorians. Those are usually kids who took less rigor to get those 4.0’s hence the lower SAT. The top students at my kid’s public school are insanely smart. They’re going to MIT and Harvard. These kids will be fun to watch.

The top students at our private are going to MIT and Harvard. They are insanely smart and were in math 2 and 3 years beyond multivariable.
How about we agree that there are top students all around???
Public and Private.

Yes, but no one was putting down top private school students. The previous posters were responding to the posts putting down public school kids (usually private school parents). Rest assured, we all know there are top students at private schools, especially ones where you have to test and apply to get in.