NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: April 6, 2023
JACKSON, Miss. – Students of Mississippi’s graduating class of 2022 who took Advanced Placement (AP) courses achieved a 39.2% qualifying score rate for AP exams, an increase from the previous year’s achievement rate of 39.1%.
AP courses are college-level courses offered by high school teachers teaching college level coursework. Students can earn three college credits for every AP exam they pass with a qualifying score of three or higher.
Among the class of 2022, 18.4% (5,994) of graduates took a total of 12,768 AP exams during their high school experience, according to the College Board’s AP Cohort Data Report for Class of 2022. Among the class of 2021, 18.2% (4,972) of graduates took a total of 10,865 AP exams during their high school experience. The number of Mississippi students taking AP courses and passing AP exams have both doubled since 2013.
Research shows AP students are better prepared for college and more likely to graduate college in four years than non-AP peers.
Mississippi is one of 30 states that has established a consistent statewide AP credit policy. Mississippi’s AP policy entitles students who score three or higher on an AP exam to earn at least three college credits at any Mississippi public university or community college. In 2022, public and private high school students in Mississippi earned 6,793 qualifying AP scores, which translates into a potential savings of close to $6.2 million for students and families.
The Mississippi State Board of Education now requires all high schools to offer and enroll students in advanced courses including AP classes in the four core subject areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. During the 2021-22 school year, 66.5% of public high schools in Mississippi offered students at least one AP course, an increase of 15.7% from the 2020-21 school year.
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