NC sees record gains in Advanced Placement exams. Will state keep funding them?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- North Carolina reports 7.3% more students taking AP exams and 9.7% more tests.
- State shows 21% jump in passing scores, totalling 123,394 exams with 3+.
- Funding faces uncertainty after Senate proposes $14M cut; House retains funds.
A record number of North Carolina high school students are taking and passing taxpayer-funded Advanced Placement courses and exams to boost their grades and obtain free college credit.
Data released Wednesday shows a 7.3% increase this year in the number of North Carolina students taking Advanced Placement exams and a 9.7% increase in the number of AP exams taken. The gains in participation also came with a 21% increase this year in the number of exams with a passing score to earn college credit.
The presentation of the data at Wednesday’s State Board of Education meeting was met with repeated cheers and applause.
“It’s incredible,” said Sneha Shah-Coltrane, senior director of the state Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Advanced Learning and Gifted Education. “It’s a clear reflection when students are given an opportunity, they rise.”
During a press conference Wednesday, State Superintendent Mo Green said the AP results are the latest example of historic academic achievement gains for the state. In September, the state released data showing North Carolina has a record high school graduation rate of 87.7%.
“North Carolina public school students are making history,” Green, a Democrat, said. “Graduation rates and now Advanced Placement exams.”
Will state cut funding for AP exams?
High school students can take up to 38 AP exams in 40 different courses AP courses are given additional weight on high school transcripts so they can boost a student’s grade-point-average.
AP exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5. A score of 3 or higher will generally be accepted by a college or university for college credit.
The College Board, which administers the exam, charges a $99 fee per exam.
Since 2014, state lawmakers have funded the AP exam fee. It’s led to a sharp increase in participation.
“They have made an investment in our North Carolina students and families through covering all test fees and funding the partnership,” Shah-Coltrane said at the press conference. “With just approximately $20 million of investment, the return on investment is great.
“For just last year with all of the exams that our students have taken, we have potentially over $92 million in potential college tuition savings for our North Carolina students and families. The investment of our General Assembly is key.”
But the budget approved earlier this year by state Senate Republicans cuts AP exam funding by $14 million. The remaining $4.7 million would have been used to cover exam costs for only economically disadvantaged students.
Senate Republicans also want to end the state’s $1.5 million partnership with the College Board.
But the budget approved by state House Republicans didn’t cut any of the AP funding.
The program remains funded at last year’s level amid the ongoing impasse between House and Senate Republicans to adopt a comprehensive state budget.
Record number taking AP classes, exams
This school year, a record 99,397 North Carolina students are taking AP courses. That’s a 33% increase since the state began footing the cost for AP exams in the 2014-15 school year.
Last school year, a record 90,504 students took an AP exam. That was a 29% increase from the 2020-21 school year, when participation dropped during the pandemic.
Participation rose last school year in all of the state’s eight regions, including Western North Carolina, even as many students lost instructional time due to the impact of Hurricane Helene.
Many students took multiple AP exams so a record 171,162 tests were taken last school year. That’s nearly 50,000 more exams taken since the 2021-22 school year.
Popularity of AP African American Studies
AP African American Studies was the fastest-growing AP course taken in North Carolina high schools. The College Board began offering the AP African American Studies exam in the 2023-24 school year.
“This course is inter-disciplinary and it pulls from the arts and history and literature and geography and science to really focus on the contributions of African Americans and have students engaged in primary sources that will really build a foundation for their knowledge in African American history and culture,” said Beth Cross, assistant director of DPI’s Office of Advanced Learning and Gifted Education. “It’s amazing, an amazing course.”
But states such as Florida and South Carolina have limited public schools from offering the course. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has accused the College Board of using Black history to push a political agenda.
NC beats national average in AP passing rate
The increases in participation also led to more students passing the AP exams..
There was a record 123,394 passing scores of 3+ on the AP exams this year. In addition to being a 21% increase from 2024, it’s nearly double the number of exams passed in 2021.
All eight of the state’s regions showed double-digit percentage growth from 2024 in the number of passing exams.
North Carolina now has a 72.1% passing rate on AP exams, which is higher than the national average of 70.1%
The new results come at the same time that the State Board of Education’s new strategic plan has a goal of North Carolina having the best public schools in the nation by 2030. Part of the plan calls for increasing the percentage of students taking AP exams.
“When we look at being best in the nation, we are on our way,” Shah-Coltrane said.
School districts promote AP gains
Representatives from Alamance-Burlington Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Pamlico County Schools and Pitt County Schools attended Wednesday’s State Board of Education meeting and press conference to talk about the AP gains in their districts.
CMS Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight said the district has made expanding AP access for students a focus. The results, she said are:
- More than 11,000 students participating in AP courses last school year, a 2.7% increase from the previous year.
- Almost 22,000 AP exams taken last school year, the highest total in 5 years.
- A passing rate of 75% on AP exams, which is a 9-point increase from 2024.
- More than 16,000 passing AP exams, potentially saving families $14.3 million in college tuition costs.
“Every student in every school deserves access to excellence and these results show that when we align our vision, invest in our educators and believe in our students, achievement follows,” Balknight said.
This story was originally published November 5, 2025 at 11:48 AM.
