Maybe there is no "grade inflation". Maybe the next generation just becomes smarter and because the standards are constant more end up justly deserving higher grades. The idea that someone has to lose in order to justify the prestige of the winners is an evil belief.
How do you avoid this if you’re a parent looking for good schooling? Aren’t nearly all of these metrics for academic excellence gameable?
Build more houses, fund schools more equitably, and clamp down on grade inflation from the state level instead of relying solely on standardized tests.
This is a non-answer. None of what you’ve described will help a parent with a kid today / for the time in which the kid will be in school. It’s pandering.