The Best (and Worst) Pop Cult High Schools

WORST
CHILTON ACADEMY
Gilmore Girls
Hartford, Connecticut's most prestigious, fictional prep school is for overachievers only. The kind of student who is eternally asking, ''Will this look good on my college application?'' The type of kid who runs for student council while organizing a bake sale and writing a newspaper editorial, in between studying for a midterm, filling out applications to Harvard and Yale, and attending school-sponsored Shakespeare festivals. It's a miracle that Rory Gilmore manages to maintain her sanity and snag the title of class valedictorian. I wouldn't last very long if my classmates were only interested in comparing grade point averages. — Gretchen Hansen

Next item in this gallery