If you reduce the granularity in the data set by not disclosing class rank and allowing grade inflation so the top 15+% all have unweighted 4.0s, you aren't solving the problem of cutthroat competition--you're just diverting it into another area. The competition for the finite resources of scholarships, awards, and competitive college admissions does not magically disappear. The battle is now taking place in extracurriculars, which gives even more advantage to wealthier kids with more involved parents and can also disadvantage highly gifted kids who might be pointier when compared to the less gifted kids who are "well rounded" because they are varsity athletes or student body presidents.
I think the true beneficiaries of the unranked and grade inflated high schools are the teachers and administrators who have to field fewer angry calls and emails from angry grade grubbing students and parents.
