I think we forget sometimes that the APFT grading scale is set for the entire Regular Army. The scale used to mark success and failure for Academy and ROTC cadets while the same is raised to reflect higher standards. A 230 will be checked as a "Go" in the regular Army while a cadet with the same score may be held back from attending LDAC, any summer training, or even worse not recommended for AD even though by Army regulations they are passing. My son's battalion will not consider any cadet for summer training with a APFT below 280, the average score of those that actually attend the schools is closer to 300. The funny thing is, and this is where I'll differ from Bruno is that at Airborne the students that usually fail the APFT and are sent home are "Regular Army"
I will still agree that an Officer should always try and be at the high end of the average if not the highest in regard to PT. Leadership should set the bar and it should be high.
The Army has struggled as well as other services for years to keep their soldiers and sailors to high physical standards, I think we would all be a bit surprised if we saw the Average APFT scores for all Regular Army personell, all the better reason to strive for the max and lead by example.
I would assume that all of the cadets in the battalion know that in order to be competitive they must be 280 or above? I gather that the battalion where your sons are does a top notch job in preparing their cadets to succeed.