2014 Plano West HS graduating class GPA numbers (Austin, Little Elm: public schools, universities)

[europeanone]

This is what I am hearing about the class of 2014 numbers: Graduating class of almost 1100 students. On a 4-point GPA scale, 20% have a GPA higher than 4.0. TWENTY PERCENT! That is completely insane.

[synchronicity]

Originally Posted by europeanone

This is what I am hearing about the class of 2014 numbers: Graduating class of almost 1100 students. On a 4-point GPA scale, 20% have a GPA higher than 4.0. TWENTY PERCENT! That is completely insane.

I assume they have accelerated/AP type courses that go up to 5 for A's? Because if so this is nothing new - they had this in my high school in IL when I attended over 30 years ago (30 years? Man, time flies).

[europeanone]

Nothing new for 20% of a graduating class to have above a 4.0 GPA? I don't know where in Illinois this is going on, but I think that is beyond highly unusual and shocking. The biggest problem is that kids who are taking normal classes mixed with a few AP classes have ZERO chance at automatic admission to TX schools if they get so much as one B (per the 7% auto admission rule here). These poor kids can't even afford to take a class they might be remotely interested in if they even have a hint of getting lower than an A in the class.

[aggie972]

Originally Posted by europeanone

Nothing new for 20% of a graduating class to have above a 4.0 GPA? I don't know where in Illinois this is going on, but I think that is beyond highly unusual and shocking. The biggest problem is that kids who are taking normal classes mixed with a few AP classes have ZERO chance at automatic admission to TX schools if they get so much as one B (per the 7% auto admission rule here). These poor kids can't even afford to take a class they might be remotely interested in if they even have a hint of getting lower than an A in the class.

7% is only for UT. At A&M it's top 10% or top 25% with a 1300 SAT (or whatever the equivalent ACT score is). At Tech and all the other publics, it's considerably lower. The reality is that yeah, if you're at Plano West, and you aren't taking any honors/AP, you probably aren't getting into UT. I could have told you that without seeing this statistic.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by europeanone

Nothing new for 20% of a graduating class to have above a 4.0 GPA? I don't know where in Illinois this is going on, but I think that is beyond highly unusual and shocking. The biggest problem is that kids who are taking normal classes mixed with a few AP classes have ZERO chance at automatic admission to TX schools if they get so much as one B (per the 7% auto admission rule here). These poor kids can't even afford to take a class they might be remotely interested in if they even have a hint of getting lower than an A in the class.

That doesn't sound crazy at all. Don't approx 60%+ of Plano West students take Honors and AP classes? A 4.0 weighted GPA is A's in regular classes, B's in Honors classes, and B- in AP classes. When 3% of the class is NMSF, I'm sure there's at least 17% more kids who can manage to make solid B's in Honors/AP classes.

Weighted GPA's are nothing new, at least not around here for the last 20+ years.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by aggie972

7% is only for UT. At A&M it's top 10% or top 25% with a 1300 SAT (or whatever the equivalent ACT score is). At Tech and all the other publics, it's considerably lower. The reality is that yeah, if you're at Plano West, and you aren't taking any honors/AP, you probably aren't getting into UT. I could have told you that without seeing this statistic.

Actually, the state universities don't fill every slot with top 7/10% students. They take a good number of kids from top public schools who fall below the 7% cutoff, but are from competitive high schools and have excellent SAT's and Extracurriculars. I'd say anyone in the top 20-25% of a competitive public like HP / Plano West / Austin Westlake/ etc should apply to A&M and / or UT and has a decent shot at admissions. The admissions offices value these kids as well-prepared for college and adding to the makeup of their freshman class. However, the kids in the 8th percentile at DISD Madison or Little Elm HS has absolutely no chance.

[Renu.Uner]

Plano schools are great places to get good education and their scores confirm their standard of education. Going to school with students who are smart and hard working helps you get ready for college education. Just getting into college isn't the ultimate goal, learning well and performing well is important as well. College students from good schools have lower drop out rates compared to students from mediocre and poor schools. Here is a story of automatic admit at UT.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/05/18...html?referrer=

[Big G]

PISD specific:

If you take just enough APs to cancel the required "regulars" courses, such as PE, health, first year of language, etc. (4 or 5 APs over the 4 years would accomplish that), and take honors courses for all the rest, you'd only need to maintain a 90 average to get a 4.1 GPA.

Take a couple more APs, say 3 junior year and 3 senior year, and a 87-88 overall average would still put you over the 4.0 mark.

So, 20% can do that? Not insane at all. Given PWSH's demographics, surprised it isn't more.

[Grainraiser]

Originally Posted by Renu.Uner

Plano schools are great places to get good education and their scores confirm their standard of education. Going to school with students who are smart and hard working helps you get ready for college education. Just getting into college isn't the ultimate goal, learning well and performing well is important as well. College students from good schools have lower drop out rates compared to students from mediocre and poor schools. Here is a story of automatic admit at UT.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/05/18...html?referrer=

Thank you for posting that link. It was a very interesting read because it dove deeper into the problem than just saying students for poorer districts can't cut it.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Grainraiser

Thank you for posting that link. It was a very interesting read because it dove deeper into the problem than just saying students for poorer districts can't cut it.

I thought it was interesting as well.

Although I've got to say if the chemistry professor and others spent 6/8 hours per week studying-up and tutoring the evil white kids as well as the lower quintile kids the kids at the top would rock it.