VALDOSTA – Valdosta High School is a top advanced placement school in Georgia.

Georgia ranks 17th in the nation for AP performance, improves the performance of economically disadvantaged students, school officials said. 

Georgia Department of Education names 255 AP Honor Schools, which included Valdosta High School, they said.

Georgia’s public-school class of 2019 has the 17th highest advanced placement pass rate in the nation, according to data released recently by the college board.

In Georgia, the percentage of class of 2019 public-school students earning a 3 or higher on an AP exam held steady at 23.2%. Georgia students recorded stronger AP performance than most Southern states, scoring higher than their peers in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisiana and Mississippi.

The percentage of low-income AP test-takers who scored 3 or higher increased in Georgia rose from 43% in 2018 to 43.7% in 2019, school officials said. The figure is based on the performance of students who used an AP exam fee reduction, which states look to as a marker of equitable participation for low-income students.

“I’m proud of Georgia’s students, who continue to record strong performance on advanced placement exams and outperform their peers in other Southern states,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “I’m also pleased to see the gains made by economically disadvantaged students in Georgia, as we work to ensure all students receive an excellent education. Ultimately, our goal is to provide rich opportunities for every student in our state – from advanced coursework like AP to the fine arts, world languages, career exploratory courses, and more.”

Overall, 40.5% of Georgia’s class of 2019 took an AP exam while in high school. This is the 15th highest AP participation rate in the nation; 30.4% of Georgia’s class of 2019 test-takers used an AP exam fee reduction.

Additionally, Woods today named 255 advanced placement honor schools for 2020. Valdosta High School was chosen as a 2020 AP access and support school as well as a 2020 STEM school, school officials said.

AP access and support schools have at least 30% of AP exams taken by students who identified themselves as African American and/or Hispanic and 30% of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher. AP STEM schools have a minimum of five students testing in at least four AP STEM courses (AP calculus AB, AP calculus BC, AP statistics, AP biology, AP chemistry, AP environmental science, AP physics 1, AP physics 2, AP physics C, AP computer science A, and AP computer science principles).

“Our school has a dedicated faculty who provides a rigorous AP program with a wide variety of course selections for our students,” Valdosta High School Principal Dr. Janice Richardson said. “As the leader of our school, I am so proud of the number of students who choose to take advantage of these opportunities.”

“I commend the students, teachers, and staff of these 255 schools,” Woods said. “Behind this recognition is an enormous amount of hard work, and I congratulate all those who worked to expand access, improve performance, and build strong advanced placement programs in each school recognized today.”