These students are the crème de la crème of the school.
crème de la crème
idiomBest of the best; something superlative; the very best.
Origin
disputed originBorrowed from French crème de la crème (literally “cream of the cream”).
The chef only uses ingredients that are the crème de la crème for his signature dishes.
After years of rigorous training, the orchestra finally recruited the crème de la crème of young musicians from across the continent.