Don't forget rigor of curriculum. I believe that the high school (or prep school) you attend can have an impact on acceptable grades and I believe the rigor of the course load counts, as well. For instance, a student that has pushed himself at a very academically focused high school / prep school but has lower grades than a student who took lower level classes at a lesser ranked academic institution may be better off. I'm not passing judgement or suggesting it's fair or not, I'm just passing along my experience with my older kid.