Several local high schools named 2024 AP Honor Schools by state superintendent

Brady Hix, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·2 min read

Feb. 29—State School Superintendent Richard Woods has released the list of high schools that were named 2024 AP (Advanced Placement) Honor Schools, with many local schools standing out for excellence in their AP programs.

Across 99 school districts in Georgia, 276 schools were designated in eight categories based on 2023 Georgia AP exam results, with Dalton High School and several Whitfield County Schools high schools named in several categories.

Dalton High School, Coahulla Creek High School, Northwest Whitfield High School and Southeast Whitfield High School were all named AP Access and Support Schools for 2024.

To receive the AP Access and Support School distinction, schools must have "at least 30% of AP exams taken by students who identified as African American and/or Hispanic and 30% of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher," the Georgia Department of Education's website reads. That includes a minimum of 16 students and a minimum of 25 exams administered.

Those four schools were named 2024 AP STEM Schools, meaning each school had to have at least five students testing in a minimum of four AP STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) courses, with a minimum of 25 exams administered. All three Whitfield County high schools received the distinction in 2023.

Both Coahulla Creek High and Northwest Whitfield High were also named AP STEM Achievement schools, which means at least 50% of AP exams administered earned scores of 3 or higher.

Coahulla Creek High and Northwest Whitfield High were recipients of the distinction in 2023 along with Southeast Whitfield High.

Although Southeast Whitfield High was not named an AP STEM Achievement school this year, it did earn the designation of an AP Expansion School, the only school in the area to do so.

The Georgia Department of Education's website states that 2024 AP Expansion Schools are "AP schools with 25% growth in AP student participation from May 2022 to May 2023 and a minimum of 25 students testing in May 2022."

Administered by the College Board, AP exams are given through AP courses, which allow high school students access to college-level learning. Students who receive a 3 or higher on AP exams are eligible to receive college credits before graduating from high school. According to its website, the Georgia Department of Education began recognizing AP Honor Schools in 2008.

"I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the 2024 AP Honor Schools," Woods said in a press release. "I commend them for their hard work to build strong Advanced Placement programs and, as a result, provide high-quality opportunities for Georgia students. Additionally, I am thrilled that the number of AP Honor Schools and school districts continues to rise each year — a testament to the commitment of Georgia public education to expand opportunities for all Georgia students."