No grade inflation here

They may have some smart kids, but come on, there is no way that 10% of your graduates should have a 4.0, for their entire high school existence!

Back in the day, class valedictorian was the standout scholar of the senior class, the acknowledged brain.

This year's 406-member graduating class at Garfield High School features 44 valedictorians. Forty-four students with perfect 4.0 grade-point averages who, over seven semesters of mostly honors and Advanced Placement classes, have never earned less than an A.

Even for a school with a reputation as an academic powerhouse, it's a record number: Last year Garfield had 30 valedictorians; the year before, 27.

Skeptics say that so many students with perfect 4.0 GPAs is evidence of grade inflation; admirers say it's the product of smart, hard-working students at a school that encourages academic success.