Bartow County high schools increased the number of Advanced Placement (AP) Honor School awards from six last year to 11 this year – the most ever recorded in Bartow County School System history!
According to the Georgia Department of Education, there are 276 AP Honor Schools this year in 99 districts. They are named in eight categories based on the results of 2023 AP courses and exams.
Adairsville High School received the AP STEM School Award, AP Humanities School Award, and AP Expansion Schools Award.
Cass High School earned the AP STEM School Award, AP Humanities School Award, and AP Access and Support Schools Award.
Woodland High School gained the AP STEM School Award, AP Humanities School Award, AP Humanities Achievement Schools Award, AP Expansion Schools Award, and AP Schools of Distinction Award.
The following describes the categories in detail:
AP Access and Support Schools
Schools with at least 30% of AP exams taken by students who identified themselves as African-American and/or Hispanic and 30% of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
AP Challenge Schools
Schools with enrollments of 900 or fewer students and students testing in English, math, science, and social studies.
AP Expansion Schools
AP schools with 25% growth in AP student participation from May 2022 to May 2023 and a minimum of 25 students testing in May 2022.
AP Humanities Schools
Schools with a minimum of five students testing in each of the following AP categories: one ELA course, two history/social science courses, one fine arts course and one world language course.
AP Humanities Achievement Schools
AP Humanities schools (see above definition) with at least 50% of all AP Humanities exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
AP Schools of Distinction
Schools with at least 20% of the total student population taking AP exams and at least 50% of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
AP STEM Schools
Schools with a minimum of five students testing in at least four AP STEM courses. (AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles)
AP STEM Achievement Schools
AP STEM schools (see above definition) with at least 50% of all AP STEM exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
“We are very excited to be recognized, once again, as an AP Honor School by the state of Georgia,” said AP and Magnet Coordinator Dr. Joel Howell. “The reception of this award over the last five consecutive years is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our AP teachers and students and spotlights the high-quality instruction available at Adairsville High School. This year, we continue to be recognized in the areas of AP Humanities and AP STEM. We are also being recognized as an AP Expansion School, which means we have shown growth of at least 25% to our AP program. This is evidence our students are continuing to seek academically challenging classes and rigor in their coursework, and we are able to provide that with intentionality. We look forward to seeing the future accomplishments of our AP students as they strive for academic excellence.”
“I am especially proud of being named an AP Access and Support school,” said CHS AP and Magnet Coordinator Micaela Armona. “This designation highlights our commitment to providing equitable access to rigorous coursework for students of all backgrounds and underscores our teacher’s commitment not only to access but also to ensuring that students receive the necessary support and resources needed to succeed in these challenging courses. Additionally, in looking at data from the last several years, we are seeing some long-term benefits of allowing students to begin taking AP courses during their 9th and 10th grade years. While not every 9th grade student who takes an AP test scores a 3 or above, we are seeing a significant growth in qualifying scores in subsequent grades amongst these students.”
“We are very excited about our five AP Honor School awards from the Georgia Department of Education,” said WHS AP and Magnet Coordinator Mary Beth Tumlin. “We are always looking for improvement and growth in our AP program. This is evident in our AP Expansion School Award, showing more than 25% growth in participation from the year prior. The hard work of our students and staff has resulted in Woodland High being named an AP School of Distinction! Over 23% of our student population took AP courses and more than 55% of our students scored a 3 or higher on their exams. Students earned potential college credit for 306 courses last year alone.”
Each high school will be honored for its achievements at the Bartow County Board of Education meeting on May 13, 2024.