Georgia students continue to make high marks on Advanced Placement exams. The state’s public-school class of 2019 holds the nation’s 17th-highest Advanced Placement (AP) pass rate in the nation, and once again outperformed their peers in a number of Southern states.
According to information from the Georgia Department of Education, the percentage of the class of 2019 public-school students in Georgia who earned a “3” or higher on an AP exam held steady at 23.2 percent. With this rate, Georgia students scored higher than students in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
The percentage of low-income students in Georgia who scored “3” or higher on the AP exams increased from 43 percent in 2018 to 43.7 percent in 2019. According to state school officials, this figure is based on the performance of students who used an AP exam fee reduction — which states use as a marker of equitable participation for low-income students.
Advanced Placement is a program in the United States and Canada that was created by the College Board and offers college-level curriculum and examinations to high school students.
“I’m proud of Georgia’s students, who continue to record strong performance on Advanced Placement exams and outperform their peers in other Southern states,” said State School Superintendent Richard Woods.
“I’m also pleased to see the gains made by economically disadvantaged students in Georgia, as we work to ensure all students receive an excellent education. Ultimately, our goal is to provide rich opportunities for every student in our state – from advanced coursework like AP to the fine arts, world languages, career exploratory courses, and more,” Woods added.
Georgia also earned high marks for the number of students overall who took AP exams. Officials reported that 40.5 percent of Georgia’s class of 2019 took an AP exam while in high school — ranking Georgia 15th-highest in the nation. Reports indicate 30.4 percent of Georgia’s class of 2019 test-takers used an AP exam fee reduction.
Additionally, Woods named 255 Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Schools for 2020. This recognition began with three categories: AP Access and Support Schools, AP Challenge Schools, and AP Merit Schools. AP STEM and AP STEM Achievement categories were added in 2011, and the AP Humanities category was added in 2015. This year two new categories were added: AP Humanities Achievement and AP Expansion Schools. The AP Merit Schools category was renamed AP Schools of Distinction.
