Honor roll in our school was A's and B's. High honors was all A's
We had an A honor roll and an A/B honor roll. My son's school is the same way.
when I was in school it was based on that card marking's GPA, a 3.5 or higher got you on the honor roll. Now that I am back in school it is a "Dean's List" and it is still a 3.5 GPA which works out to a B+ average. So this isn't something new to make kids feel special that aren't. As for the parents that complain to get a grade changed, I feel that is just setting their child up for failure in the long run. If they are taught at an early age that effort and assesment don't mean anything if you complain enough then they will take that same mindset into the "real world" and will have difficulty keeping a job or getting promoted.
I was an honor roll student and my son is also. There is a separation between straight As and a combination of As & Bs (in the rare occasion, As with one C), but it's usually based on their grade point average. Some schools acknowledge kids with a B average (3.0 GPA) and above, and some acknowledge B+ average (3.5 GPA) and above. I have not heard of a school that ONLY acknowledges straight As.
When I was in school honor roll was a B or better AVERAGE.
When I was in elementary school (I graduated HS in 99) they had honor roll for A's and B's and the presidents list for all A's.