The first type of key high schools, whether public or private, like key high schools all over the world, rely on screening for admission and have abundant funds, so the quality of students and teachers is excellent and neat, and because of the large amount of funds, activities and choices, the students trained are competitive except for disciplines. Among them, public key schools are also called Magna schools, but neither public nor private schools are ranked.
The second kind of good school district has extremely high housing prices, which indirectly restricts students whose family environment is not good enough. Although they do not take exams, they can be regarded as key middle schools in disguise.
There is also a third kind of charter school, which does not belong to the school district. Some people think that the schools allocated near their homes are not good and they can't afford to attend private schools. If they want to enter charter schools, they usually rely on lottery. Well-run charter schools are also key middle schools.
Middle school education in the United States, like universities, is divided into public and private according to tuition fees. Of course, both have advantages and disadvantages, but the standards of private secondary schools are a bit neat. Top private middle schools are the so-called feeder schools, which send students to Ivy League schools. But unlike public high schools in the worst poverty-stricken areas, the graduation rate may be lower than 30%, and private high schools in the worst poverty-stricken areas will not be so bad.
But public middle schools are completely different, and there is a far cry between good and bad. First of all, American public schools have two different grading systems. The vast majority of schools belong to district system, and about 10% belong to charter schools. District system schools are funded by the Education Commission. If the housing price in a school district is high, it basically means that residents have high quality and high income, and the quality of education is usually better. Students also have more spare time to participate in extracurricular activities concerned by prestigious schools. If some public high schools are particularly good and there are no restrictions, they will exceed the quota. These schools let 8th grade students take the entrance examination every year. This is Magna School and a key middle school. There are several giants in every big city. Every year, more than 65% freshmen in HYPSM graduate from public high schools, but at least 70% of them graduate from Magnat. Think about it, public high schools that don't cost a dime are competitive in entering famous schools, and they are free bowls. How to keep students and parents from stealing heads?
So the answer to your question is simple. Needless to say, the difference between top high schools and ordinary high schools lies in the high quality of students and teachers. Besides, the biggest difference is actually the depth and breadth of extracurricular activities. Sometimes top high schools even have high-quality teachers. For example, symphony orchestras of several super high schools in new york can also invite famous teachers from new york Philharmonic and even Juilliard as guests. At the same time, parents of students also have a decisive influence. If the school has a long tradition of attaching importance to students' learning and all kinds of education, it will certainly cultivate a good learning atmosphere. If students learn well, teachers will teach harder. Students compete academically, but cooperate in extracurricular activities to cultivate the spirit of team and community participation. Parents are more willing to participate in various extracurricular activities, competitions and music donations. Therefore, the interaction between parents and teachers determines the campus atmosphere, which is actually the most obvious difference between top high schools except that their test scores are better than ordinary high schools.
In fact, the basic spirit of interaction is actually community service. Parents and teachers take the lead in demonstrating, children follow suit, and college enrollment also attaches importance to it. Compared with key high schools in China, the participation of parents in key high schools in the United States is much greater. The worse the school, the less parents participate, the less teachers pay, and the less students learn under interaction.
Therefore, the excellent performance of various examination competitions and university applications in top schools is actually the result of interaction between parents and teachers under the leadership of campus atmosphere.