I went to a couple of different high schools as my father's company transferred him around the midwest. In 10th grade I attended my favorite school, which was rated 2/10 - it was messy, diverse, flexible, open, fun, had pregnant teenagers, kids with difficult home situations, and lots of unusual classes to choose from. I loved it and excelled academically, although it was easy for kids who didn't have parental support or who weren't self-motivated to fall between the cracks. In 11th grade I attended one of the state's top high schools, rated 9 out of 10. I still refer to it as the "nazi school." Everything was lock-step, obeying the rules, toeing the lines, taking the right classes, getting the right grades, everything being uber-structured. I hated it so much I took a night class (Jr. ROTC!) to be able to graduate a year early. I had classmates from the second school who really floundered in college because they had never had to make their own decisions or think for themselves.
Each kid is different. Make a decision based on which will allow your child to shine.