Curriculum difficulty varies WIDELY among US High Schools - not just public/private, but based on state, locality, etc. It's heterogenous to the point that A-q

Curriculum difficulty varies WIDELY among US High Schools - not just public/private, but based on state, locality, etc. It's heterogenous to the point that A-quality work in one school might get you a C in a school 20 miles away. The traditional solution has been standardized tests (SAT, ACT, AP, IB are all fairly common nationally, PLUS most states have their own tests by subject). The qualms people have is that, short of these tests, universities are forced to make subjective judgements about high school quality, extracurriculars, etc that are often skewed rich.