Can somebody require you get an APFT score above the Army standard before sending you to a school?

SGT(P) I thought it was an ignorant "local" policy as I saw it often when I was in. But looking at it from the units side, they're trying to ensure that if the Soldier was to fail, it wasn't because they failed the APFT. The command doesn't want to look bad or get any "good" phone calls from said school saying they sent a Solder who couldn't make the simplest of standards. 180 from all three is the standard, but would you as a leader want to send a Soldier to any school where they require an APFT to get in or graduate and they can barely pass when back home? Would you want to be in 1SG or the CSM's office after that comes down?

Yes & no.

It depends on what the school's purpose and requirements are.

If it is a "physical" school, ensuring that the proposed applicant is physically fit is a good measure. Ensuring they will pass the initial Physical Fitness Test is being a good steward of the People's money, and unit funding as SFC Jerry C. said. If the applicant cannot meet the demands of the school, all is for naught.

If the school is more "career progression" based or "mental" in nature, you absolutely have to meet the minimum standards, but the physical requirements become a secondary concern as compared to everything else. Requiring a higher score becomes overly coercive, and can prevent career progression, effectively shutting someone's ability to advance down. This creates a ripple effect. If you can't get promoted because you can't go to a school, then why are you going to bother to try to increase your score?

Leadership needs to weigh all these factors, and determine whether they need to make determinations for those who are "borderline" as APFT events.

I'd support that unless somebody found an AR stating otherwise. Hell, I make sure I'm well above standard just for the mere fact that I'm an Officer!