I know for AFROTC the transcript is very detailed, it includes what one would call school profile. The GC will answer questions like the following for the school:
~ Grading system
~~ 7 point scale, 10 point scale
~~ Weight for std/honors/APs
~ Ranking system
~~ Uses wcgpa or just a cgpa
~ # of AP/Honors offered
~ % of students that take AP/Honors
~~ If pre-reqs are required to take AP/IB classes
~~~ IE you can't take AP Chem until you take Honors Chem, or you can't take any APs until the earliest your junior year.
~ % of students that attend Ivy vs 4 yr Private/Public vs 2 yr CC/Trade school vs straight into the workforce.
All of this gives them a look into how rigorous your school is according to their algorithm. IF you are on a 7 point scale, and have every AP offered, with a rank of top 15%, and 25% go to Ivy than your cgpa will be looked at differently than the candidate that has a higher cgpa since it is a 10 point scale (an 84 on 7 point is a C, 10 point is a solid B) and 0% go to Ivy with your rank being the same. The first says they do not hand out As like candy on Halloween.
The transcript will also provide (at least for my kids---2 different HS in 2 different states) your info:
~ CGPA, weighted and unweighted
~ Class rank
~ Your AP/IBs
~ Dates and scores of all SAT/ACT
~~ Caveat the HS only will have them on file if you had collegeboard send them to the HS when you registered for the exams
~ Team sports/ECs at the HS
~~ NHS selection year
~~ Clubs --- positions held
~~ Sports---verification of JV/Varsity
They will not be able to verify anything outside of the HS aspect via the GC. IE you did a travel team for a sport(soccer) instead of HS soccer.
Hope that helps, but remember that is what I know from the AFROTC/SA aspect. A/NROTC may do it differently.
FWIW, I found this all out because I was nosy for my 1st child and asked for an additional sealed transcript. What I saw was the personal info for my DS and than asked the GC about the process. She than said that they as GCs when it comes to many colleges or scholarships are asked to submit more information which is the school profile.
~ If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense that they want to see the school profile.
~~ My earlier example touched upon this aspect. Here it is a little deeper. If you ask 100 candidates if their school is competitive, the majority will say they attend a competitive HS. There are over 2K HSs in the nation.
Now take 2 candidates just on this site from the chance me threads and see how quickly your opinion may change.
~ Candidate Smith's stats:
3.65 cgpa, 4.07 wcgpa
~~ 7 point scale, and 4.5 for APs, std and honors are 4.0 weight. You do not know it is a 7pt scale and weighting aspect for APs
17% class rank
~~ 25% go Ivy, 60% go 4 yr, 15% CC, 0% work force. Again you do not know this info
1360 SAT
~~ Median is 1320
~Candidate Jones
3.78 cgpa, 4.37 wcgpa
~~ 10 point scale, 4.5 honors, 5.0 AP. Same as above, this is blind to you as a poster here from a chance me/
10% class rank
~~ 5% go Ivy, 45% go 4 yr, 25% go CC 25% work force. Again...blind.
1360 SAT
~~ Median is 1250...blind.
Both candidates have sports and ECs.
At 1st glance when you read Candidate Jones stats, it looks like they have the edge on paper, but once you look deeper, you realize that Smith has the edge because the school's profile is more competitive than Jones's school. A lower ranking seems bad, but if 25% go Ivy, than they are better than Jones where 5% go and they are not at the Ivy level like Smith.
This is why many of us will never say yes or no when it comes to chancing if a posters posts their stats. We understand that what the official transcript can be a game changer.