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2017 AP Honor Schools – Totals & Definitions

Links to schools named in each category are linked beneath the “Categories” heading

February 27, 2017 – State School Superintendent Richard Woods today named 674 Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Schools.

“The number of our schools and students succeeding in the college-level learning offered by Advanced Placement continues to increase,” Superintendent Woods said. “It is my pleasure to recognize these schools – and, by extension, their students, teachers, and staff – for the excellent work being done to expand opportunity to all students.”

AP exams are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. AP courses are one of several ways Georgia students can access college-level learning at the high school level; students who receive a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP exam may receive college credit.

The 2017 AP Honor Schools are named in six categories, based on the results of 2016 AP courses and exams. A list of categories is below, and a full list of schools in each category is linked in each description.

The Georgia Department of Education began recognizing AP Honor Schools in 2008. This recognition began with the first three categories listed below; AP STEM and AP STEM Achievement categories were added in 2011, and the AP Humanities category was added in 2015.

Categories:  

AP Challenge Schools (59 named in 2017) are schools with enrollments of 900 or fewer students and students testing in four of the core areas (English, math, science, and social studies).

AP Access and Support Schools (65 named in 2017) are 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 Merit Schools (69 named in 2017) are schools with at least 20 percent of the total student population taking AP exams and at least 50 percent of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher.

AP STEM Schools (204 named in 2017) are schools with students testing in at least two AP math courses and two AP science 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 STEM Achievement Schools (128 named in 2017) are schools with students testing in at least two AP math courses and two AP science courses and at least 40 percent of exam scores on AP math and science exams earning scores of 3 or higher.

AP Humanities Schools (149 named in 2017) are schools with students testing in the following AP courses: at least one ELA course, two social science courses, one fine arts course and one world language course.​