The Glen Cove Board of Education examined last year’s Advanced Placement test scores at the Jan. 8 meeting.
Students in 2024 performed at a higher rate than the previous year, and the school received an AP School Honor Roll designation for its AP programming and college-going culture.
According to Alexa Doeschner, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, and technology, the school has seen an “upward trend” of participation in Advanced Placement courses and higher scores since 2021.
Advanced Placement courses are offered to high school students, and students who perform well on the end-of-year AP exams are eligible for college credit. The exams are graded on a scale of 1 through 5, and students with a score of 3 or higher may receive college credit.
“We are seeing an increase in the percent of total AP students with scores of 3 or higher,” Doeschner said.
In 2024, 70% of Glen Cove students who took AP exams earned a 3 or higher. The highest this rate has been in recent years was 73% in 2020, and the lowest it has been in 60% in 2021 and 2022.
“This is an upward trend from right after Covid, 2021, when we saw a dip in that average,” Doeschner said.
The district’s highest average score in 2024 was in AP Calculus, which is the “highest level of mathematics that a high school student can take,” Doeschner said. The high school’s mean score was 3.75.
The district achieved a higher school average score than the global average in six exams spanning history, science and world language courses. Most notably, the AP Human Geography students surpassed the global average of 2.8 with a 2.98.
Additionally, AP Environmental Science students surpassed the average of 2.8 with a 2.9, AP U.S. Government and Politics surpassed the average of 3.38 with a 3.44, AP U.S. History students surpassed the average of 3.23 with a 3.26, AP Spanish Language and Culture students surpassed the average of 3.54 with a 3.64 and AP World students surpassed the average of 3.11 with a 3.21.
Not only have students performed at high levels, but there are also more students participating in AP courses and exams, Doeschner said. She said last year, the district saw the highest participation in AP exams in the past five years.
In 2024, 318 students participated in 639 exams, Doeschner said. The number of exams increased by 100 since 2023, which saw 274 students participate in 539 tests.
Doeschner said 43% of the 2024 graduating class had taken at least one AP exam in high school prior to graduation.
This year, the College Board recognized 56 Glen Cove high schoolers as AP Scholars, a title which is awarded to any student who earns a 3 on three or more AP exams. Doeschner said the number of AP Scholars recognized by the district has steadily increased in the past five years.
The high school received an AP School Honor Roll designation for its AP programming and participation as well. An honor roll designation is given to schools that “provide AP programs which deliver results for students,” Doeschner said.
Designations range from bronze, silver, gold and platinum, and consider factors such as college-going culture, college credit and college optimization. Glen Cove High School earned a bronze designation from the College Board.
“The fact that we are scoring bronze overall says something about the access that we are providing students and the achievement that students are achieving,” Doeschner said.
Superintendent Maria Rianna said analyzing the school’s AP data helps the district understand “how we can best prepare our students.”
Read More: Glen Cove schools break down state testing scores
