N.C. high schoolers set record for completed AP exams, teachers discuss benefits

North Carolina high school students set a new record for completed Advanced Placement exams in the 2023-24 school year. Students across the state also scored the highest on average over the past 10 years. 

According to a press release from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, North Carolina educators administered over 155,000 AP exams with 65.4 percent of students achieving a score of 3 or higher — surpassing the national average of 65 percent.

Increased participation and higher scores follow a decade-long partnership between NCDPI and the College Board, the organization that oversees the AP program. 

Compared to the previous year, over eight thousand more students in North Carolina completed at least one AP exam.

Wake County AP Spanish teacher Kate Lasher said she observed similar trends in her classroom. Lasher said while she noticed that the number of students taking AP Spanish is smaller compared to courses like AP Environmental Science or AP U.S. History, she has seen an effort to make AP classes accessible to a wider range of students. 

"There is a concerted effort to make sure that the AP classes are open to anyone who wants to take the class,” Lasher said. “They are trying to not make it an elite situation — this is open to everyone.”

The introduction of state-funded exams has been instrumental in expanding access, Lasher said. She said more people began taking classes because they knew the test would be paid for.   Additionally, the UNC system guarantees college credit for students that score a 3 or higher on an AP exam. 

The press release also highlighted significant gains for students from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. 

Black students in the State took 19.3 percent more AP exams in 2023-24 compared to the previous year, with a 45.3 percent increase in those scoring 3 or higher. Similarly, participation among Hispanic or Latino students rose by 20.9 percent, and those scoring 3 or higher jumped by 36.6 percent.

The director of Advanced Learning and Gifted Learning at NCDPI Sneha Shah-Coltrane said that the new benchmarks are part of a larger, three-pronged strategy to ensure equity in advanced coursework.

Lasher emphasized the benefit of increasing awareness among students about the benefits of AP courses, and stressed the importance of clear communication with students about the challenges and benefits of AP classes, ensuring that students are prepared for college-level coursework.

The AP program coordinator in Cumberland County Aritia Smalls said when it comes to students accessing AP classes, marketing is everything. 

“Kids have to know what's available, and we have to have adults in the building who are knowledgeable to help share that information about what's available at the school,” Smalls said. 

Smalls said she believes the availability of well-prepared teachers is critical to the success of AP programs in Cumberland County. 

 “The best thing that we can do at a school is make sure that the education that they’re getting in an AP course is college-level work,” Lasher said. 

Lasher said she is hopeful about the future of the programs in North Carolina. She said she believes that making students aware of the opportunities on an individual basis is key.

 “The students that I’ve seen that might not have been students who would take an AP class, when they were individually told, ‘Look, you are a student who can take an AP class. This would benefit you,’ then they’re more likely to take it," Lasher said. 

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