Claremont Unified School District is one of 447 school districts in the US and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the eighth annual AP District Honor Roll.

To be included, CUSD had to, since 2015, increase the number of students participating in AP while also increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP exam scores of three or higher.

“We are very excited to be recognized by the College Board for the work we have done in advanced placement courses,” CUSD Superintendent Jim Elsasser said. “This recognition is another example of the power of a collaborative partnership between staff, students and families to ensure our students are ready to excel in college and career.”

CUSD offers more than 18 AP courses to ensure students have access to college-preparatory coursework. Between 2015 and 2017, the total number of CUSD students taking at least one AP class increased by 116 students; the number of exams taken increased by 274; and the number of AP students receiving a score of 3+ increased by 67 for a total of 307 students receiving a passing score. 

National data from 2017 show that among American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students with a high degree of readiness for AP, only about half are participating. The first step to increase participation is access. Courses must be made available, gatekeeping must stop and doors must be equitably opened. CUSD is committed to expanding the availability of AP courses among prepared and motivated students of all backgrounds, the superintendent emphasized.

In 2017, more than 4,000 colleges and universities around the world received AP scores for college credit, advanced placement or both, and/or consideration in the admissions process.