The school profile provides important perspective on a student's transcript in several key ways:

• It shows the specific academic opportunities and offerings available at the applicant's school such as standard curriculum, honors, AP/IB, and dual enrollment classes. This provides context on how rigorously the student challenged themselves.
• It gives statistics on grade distributions, average test scores, and other data to allow comparisons between the applicant and their peers. High scores show if the student exceeded classmates.
• It explains the grading policies, GPA calculations, class ranking systems, and requirements for graduation. This allows proper interpretation of grades, rankings, and course loads.
• It describes student demographics, size, graduation rate, and colleges attended. This provides perspective on the student body and school resources.

Profiles give multifaceted insight into the student's high school experience. Colleges can see how they took advantage of offerings and measured against fellow students. This enables a holistic evaluation of achievement based on the context of their specific school setting.

The profile transforms the transcript from an isolated record into a meaningful reflection of the applicant's academic journey. It plays an invaluable role for admissions officers in painting a complete picture of a student's capabilities and potential.

Students can usually find their school profile on the school website or asking their counselor. Reviewing it junior year helps understand how colleges will view your record. The school profile plays a subtle but integral role in presenting a student's candidacy positively.