State Students Lead U.S. in Advance Placement Progress

Connecticut leads the nation in growth of student participation and performance on Advanced Placement (AP) exams over the last decade, according to the College Board’s 10th Annual AP Report to the Nation.

The state is ranked second nationwide both for the largest percentage of 2013 high school graduates succeeding on at least one AP exam and for the highest percentage of exams receiving a top score.

The percentage of Connecticut’s graduating classes scoring 3 or higher on an AP exam increased by 13.2 points from 2003 to 2013, the largest increase in the nation. In other words, Connecticut ranks first for improvement in the country. 

Regarding the percentage of students succeeding on at least one AP exam, the state ranked second only to Maryland in 2013, with 28.8% of students scoring 3 or better—up from sixth-place in last year’s report. Connecticut also comes in second only to New Jersey with 22.1% of exams receiving the top score of 5 in 2013.

The College Board said Connecticut is the only state in the nation to achieve high standings in each of three key metrics, which collectively describe AP growth, access, and performance, and provide a picture of the health, quality, and availability of rigorous academic courses in a state.

AP courses give high school students the opportunity to develop college-level knowledge and skills and earn college credit in the process. Students who score 3 or higher on an AP exam typically earn better grades, take greater course loads, and graduate from college at higher rates. 

For more information, contact CBIA’s Jennifer Herz at 860.244.1921 | jennifer.herz@cbia.com | @CBIAjherz