More students taking and succeeding in AP courses

Redmond, Wash. – For the third year in a row, the College Board named Lake Washington School District (LWSD) to its Annual AP District Honor Roll. LWSD is one of only 433 public school districts in the nation and one of six in Washington to be honored.

The Honor Roll recognizes districts that increase access to Advanced Placement (AP) coursework while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams.  

This is the fourth time that LWSD has received this recognition in the seven years of the Honor Roll.

More than 90 percent of colleges and universities across the U.S. offer college credit, advanced placement or both for a score of 3 or higher on an AP Exam. Achieving that score may save students and their families thousands of dollars in college tuition.

“I am proud our district has been named to the AP District Honor Roll again this year,” noted Dr. Traci Pierce, superintendent. “It reflects the work our schools are doing to prepare students for post-secondary education, including doing college level work in high school.”

The number of AP tests taken by LWSD students increased from 3,758 in 2015 to 3,934 in 2016. The rate of students achieving a score of 3 or higher remained at 80 percent both years.

Inclusion on the 7th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on three years of AP data, from 2014 to 2016. The criteria follow.

• Increased participation/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, 6 percent in medium districts, and 11 percent in small districts.
• Increased or maintained the percentage of exams taken by African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native students who scored 3+ on at least one AP Exam; and
• Improve or maintain performance levels when comparing the 2016 percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher to the 2014 percentage, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70% of its AP students earn a 3 or higher.

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About Lake Washington: Lake Washington School District is a high-performing public school district serving Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish, Washington. It is the third largest district in the state of Washington, with over 28,900 students in 52 schools.