Hamilton High School was one of 539 school districts across the U.S. and Canada selected by the College Board to the third annual AP Honor Roll. The award recognizes high schools that simultaneously increase access to Advanced Placement (AP) course work while increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP Exams.
“A rigorous educational program will give students a strong foundation to be successful after they leave high school in both their career and educational pursuits,” said Hamilton Principal Candis Mongan. “Being named to the national AP Honor Roll for three consecutive years speaks to our commitment in providing students with an excellent education that will serve them well in the future.”
Expanding the number of students in AP courses while maintaining its high pass rate has been a goal at Hamilton for a number of years. Mongan credits the commitment of teachers and students with the school’s success. In the 2011-12 school year, 263 Hamilton students took a total of 469 AP exams. Hamilton’s AP pass rate was more than 81 percent.
“This goal has been important to us because of what it means for our students and their families,” Mongan said. “More Hamilton students are taking high-level courses that challenge our students and provide them with the opportunity to earn college credit, advanced standing or both. What they are learning at Hamilton will be a real advantage for them in their careers and further education.”
At Hamilton, students have the following AP course options: biology, physics, calculus AB, calculus BC, statistics, English literature, English language, studio art, U.S. history, European history and government. Other courses are offered periodically based on student interest, staff availability and curriculum.
Districts named to the AP Honor Roll are successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are likely to benefit most from AP course work, according to AP representatives.
“We applaud the extraordinary efforts of the devoted teachers and administrators in this district, who are fostering rigorous work worth doing. These educators have not only expanded student access to AP course work, but they have enabled more of their students to achieve on a college level—which is helping to create a strong college-going culture,” said College Board President David Coleman.
Inclusion on the third annual AP Honor Roll is based on the examination of three years of AP data, from 2010 to 2012, in which districts must:
•increase AP participation and access by at least four percent in large districts, six percent in medium districts and 11 percent in small districts;
•ensure that the percentage of minority students taking AP exams did not decrease by more than five percent for large and medium districts or 10 percent for small districts; and
•improve performance levels when comparing the percentage of students in 2012 scoring a 3 or higher to those in 2010, unless the district has already attained a performance level in which more than 70 percent of the AP students are scoring a 3 or higher.
The College Board’s AP program enables students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Through more than 30 college-level courses, each culminating in a rigorous exam, AP provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement or both at more than 90 percent of U.S. four-year colleges and universities. Taking AP courses also demonstrates to college admission officers that students have sought the most rigorous curriculum available to them.