Advanced Placement Program Report - Three-Year Summary Analysis 2024-2026 - Review for the Board of Education

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Miles

Advanced Placement Program Report provides a three-year 2024–2026 summary of AP administration performance for Waunakee Community High School. The 2026 administration shows the strongest results in the window: 1,020 exams, a 14.6% year-over-year rise, 91.2% of exams earning scores of 3 or higher, and 30.3% of exams earning a 5. Participation and quality advance together, while access gaps remain for economically disadvantaged students, students with IEPs, and English learners. Detailed results include subject-by-subject performance and comparisons to national score distributions, highlighting where WCHS outperforms and where declines or improvements occur.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

The Program at a Glance

2026 Performance in Depth

Results by Subject

2026 Results vs. National Score Distributions

ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM REPORT Three-Year Summary Analysis · 2024–2026 Exam Administrations Review for the Board of Education Prepared July 2026 · Revised August 2026 Sources: College Board AP Student Datafiles & Scholar Rosters · WCSD Student Information System | Executive Summary
The 2026 Advanced Placement (AP) administration was the strongest in this threeyear window on nearly every measure. Waunakee Community High School students took
1,020 AP exams, a 14.6% increase over 2025 and the first time the school has surpassed
1,000 exams in this window. The share of exams earning a college-qualifying score of 3 or higher rose to 91.2% . That success rate sits far above the 60–75% range typical of AP exams nationally, and it was achieved while participation expanded, not by narrowing access.
Participation growth and quality of results are moving together. Over three years, the number of students testing grew from 487 to 542, students took more exams each (1.88 per student in 2026), the mean score climbed from 3.69 to 3.87, and the share of exams earning the top score of 5 reached 30.3% . AP Scholar recognition grew 25% over two years to 229 awards in 2026 (official College Board roster), with the largest gains in the highest tier: Scholars with Distinction rose from 56 in 2024 to 93 in 2026.
The clearest opportunities for us are in access. Just over half of students in grades 10–12 (53.3%) tested in 2026, but participation among economically disadvantaged students (≈24%), students with IEPs (≈6%), and English learners (≈4%) remains well below that overall level, and participation gaps persist for Black and Hispanic/Latino students.
The Program at a Glance | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Metric | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Trend | | AP exams taken | 891 | 890 | 1,020 | ▲ +14 . 6% YoY | | Students tested | 487 | 522 | 542 | ▲ +11 . 3% over
2 yrs | | Exams per student | 1.83 | 1.70 | 1.88 | ▲ | | Mean exam score | 3.69 | 3.71 | 3.87 | ▲ | | Exams scoring 3+ | 86.1% | 86.7% | 91.2% | ▲ +5.1 pts | | Exams scoring 4–5 | 59.4% | 62.8% | 67.8% | ▲ +8.4 pts | | Exams scoring 5 | 25.6% | 24.4% | 30.3% | ▲ | | AP Scholar awards | 183 | 211 | 229 | ▲ +25% over 2 yrs | | Seniors with 3+ during HS | 43.5% | 52.1% | 45.5% | ◆ see trends | | | | | | | | Metric 2024 2025 2026 Trend | | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Grade 10–12 participation 49.3% 51.6% 53.3% ▲ | | | | | | | | ‡ throughout this report marks results suppressed where fewer than 10 exams or 10 students are represented.
2026 Performance in Depth
Scores moved upward in 2026. Two-thirds of all exams (67.8%) earned a 4 or 5, and only 8.8% fell below the college-qualifying threshold, which is down from 13.9% in 2024. The distribution below shows the top of the scale expanding while scores of 1 and 2 compress. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Strength is broad-based across the largest programs. Psychology, the school’s biggest AP course by participation, administered 238 exams with 81.9% earning a 4 or 5. Every subject with at least 10 exams posted a 3+ rate of 73% or better, and two, U.S. Government & Politics and Calculus BC, achieved a 100% qualifying rate. Calculus AB stands out with a 4.37 mean and 88% of students earning a 4 or 5.
Results by Subject | | | | | | | | Subject | Exams | Mean | % 3+ | % 4–5 | 2025 %
3+ | 2024 %
3+ | | Psychology | 238 | 4.10 | 93.3% | 81.9% | 93.7% | 96.4% | | English Language & Comp. | 185 | 3.76 | 90.3% | 61.1% | 83.9% | 71.6% | | U.S. History | 136 | 3.68 | 88.2% | 62.5% | 86.9% | 85.3% | | Biology | 83 | 4.10 | 97.6% | 75.9% | 86.2% | 96.7% | | Calculus AB | 59 | 4.37 | 96.6% | 88.1% | 80.3% | 87.9% | | Macroeconomics | 52 | 3.37 | 75.0% | 42.3% | 40.6% | 58.3% | | Chemistry | 50 | 3.80 | 98.0% | 60.0% | 98.1% | 94.6% | | Statistics | 49 | 3.20 | 73.5% | 44.9% | 82.2% | 95.2% | | English Literature & Comp. | 46 | 3.76 | 93.5% | 60

FAQs

What were the key performance changes for AP exams in 2026 compared with 2025 and 2024?

In 2026, Waunakee Community High School students took 1,020 AP exams, up 14.6% from 2025. The mean exam score increased to 3.87, and the share earning 3+ rose to 91.2%, with 30.3% earning a 5. Compared with 2024, the percentage below the 3+ threshold fell to 8.8% from 13.9%.

How did participation and exam quality trend over the three-year period 2024–2026?

Over three years, the number of students testing grew from 487 to 542, and students took more exams each, reaching 1.88 exams per student in 2026. The mean score rose from 3.69 to 3.87, and the share of top scores (5) reached 30.3%. Overall, participation growth moved with improved results rather than narrowed access.

Which subject areas showed the strongest 2026 results, and how did WCHS compare to national performance?

Strength was broad-based across the largest programs, with Psychology leading by participation (238 exams) and high rates of 4–5. Several subjects achieved a 100% qualifying rate in 2026, including U.S. Government & Politics and Calculus BC, while Calculus AB stood out with a 4.37 mean and 88% earning 4 or 5. Across 13 comparable WCHS courses, 91.3% of exams earned 3+, compared with a national rate of 72.5%, with margins up to +32 points in Calculus AB.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Miles