You do know of course that there are dozens if not hundreds of schools that *don't participate in UIL* that would be at the bottom end of the bell curve, correct?

Many inner city schools, small schools, and rebuilding programs choose to sit out of UIL rather than attend and earn a 4 or a 5 - or at best a 3. Some of those inner city schools have a NV ensemble as well - and if the Varsity doesn't go, the NV definitely isn't going either.

I'm not so sure the judges are being lenient as it is there's a level of performance inherent within a UIL ensemble.

It's not out of line to see scores drift toward the upper end more consistently when the schools that would earn the middle and lower scores simply don't show up.