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High School and Admissions Angst

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Eigth-grader Saroja Erabelli (center) was turned down by the highly competitive Thomas Jefferson High School, despite her outstanding math skills.
Jonathan Wilson
Eigth-grader Saroja Erabelli (center) was turned down by the highly competitive Thomas Jefferson High School, despite her outstanding math skills.

Fairfax County's Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is arguably the best public high school in the country. But some parents and teachers are giving it low marks for its admissions policies, which they say are too subjective. Jonathan Wilson talks with one 8th grader rejected at Thomas Jefferson -- despite displaying the type of mathematical brilliance that educators say should have made her a shoe-in.

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