Despite the challenges Virginia’s high school students faced this year, they have completed a major academic achievement for the second year in a row.
Virginia ranked 10th in the nation in Advanced Placement (AP) test performance for 2020, according to data released by the College Board on Wednesday.
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The Class of 2020 in Virginia had 28.6% of its members score a 3 or higher on at least one AP Exam, which was above the national average of 24.4%.
When looking at different student populations, Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane noticed inconsistencies in the numbers.
“As high schools recover from the coronavirus pandemic, equity — including expanding access to AP courses and identifying and encouraging more students with the potential to succeed — must be a priority,” Lane said.
The student groups and the percentage of Virginia 2020 graduates who earned passing AP scores are as follows:
- Asian students: 52%
- White students: 28.1%
- Hispanic students: 24.3%
- American Indian students: 12.7%
- Black students: 9.1%
Virginia’s Class of 2020 passed 98,556 AP exams, according to the report.
At most universities, a score of three or more on an AP exam can be used for college credit.
The report stated that this could save families across Virginia $136,612,476 based on the average rate of $462 per college credit hour.
