Problem is many poorer districts don't expect as many of the students to go to university outside the local state school. Especially a top tier school and they don't have the resources like trained school counselors, informational meetings for parents, and colleges touring their schools. Poorer students (irregardless of race) often don't know the possibilities of what is out there or belief they even have a chance. The US system of applying for colleges, grants, scholarships, financial aid is complicated and often confusing.
You hit the nail on the head. We didn't know anything about needs-blind admission in our small town.
The guidance counselor literally told me that he didn't have any information for me but "with that you'll be just fine". He suggested that if I was worried about paying for college, I go part time (which most people know is a drop-out trap).
I honestly assumed that acceptance was NEVER based on ability to pay. That seemed to be a completely separate issue to me. Luckily, I had heard that you should always apply to a "stretch" school, so I did. Then my stretch school gave me a grant that was about the same as tuition. I don't think there was a cheaper option for me. I never consulted the school guidance counselor for anything. Maybe I would have received terrible, and soul crushing advice. Then again, I was confident that I was smarter than anyone working for the school, so I probably would have ignored anything they told me. Based on your experience, they don't know much about tailoring their advice for uncommon circumstances, so maybe I was right to avoid them.
Having said that, guidance counselors ought to be reliable sources of appropriate information: especially for children with few other resources.
