Dear Always,
Lakewood’s growth started thirty years ago.
The only high school in those few years that did not have a general curriculum was Mesivta of Lakewood.
Almost all top students went to learn out of town until much more recently. Or they did not remain top students.
Lakewood has many issues to address with the current growth of the masses. Almost none of them will be addressed at all. I don’t see why the larger scale of disinterest in general studies would be more of an issue. Moreover, I suspect that there is more interest in general studies now, than in the previous generation.
Rav Malkiel left Lakewood to learn in Boston at a tender age. The only frum high school (sorry the other one wasn’t) in Lakewood was the Sons of Israel crowd. And most definitely had a general curriculum. The elementary school was coed.
Whatever you were trying to say about elites and Lakewood of old is totally false. Please reflect on this before you post about Lakewood again.