In 2020 a total of 14,271 Utah high school seniors took at least one Advanced Placement (AP) course at some point in their secondary education, up from 13,903 in 2019, according to data released by College Board. That means 37 percent of the graduating class took an AP course, up from 30.5 percent in 2010. And 25.3 percent of seniors – or 9,756 students – earned college credit by scoring 3 or better on the end-of-course exams, up from 20.7 percent in 2010, College Board noted. Nationally, 38.3 percent of students took an AP course with 24.4 percent earning college credit.
“Nearly 10,000 Utah students earned college credit on exams taken during a very difficult time in spring of 2020; a testament to their perseverance and the dedication of their teachers and families,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sydnee Dickson. “We look forward to additional reports later this year focusing on Utah students who earned college credit through concurrent enrollment, early college high school, and the International Baccalaureate program.”
Utah students passed AP exams at a rate of 65.6 percent, tenth best in the nation. New Jersey led the nation with 71.6 percent.
Utah’s 10 Most Popular Exams by Number of Test Takers
|
Subject |
Number of Exams |
% of Exams 3 or Higher |
|
English Language and Composition |
5,023 |
66.1 |
|
Human Geography |
4,389 |
56.2 |
|
United States History |
4,140 |
61.5 |
|
English Literature and Composition |
2,821 |
66.1 |
|
World History: Modern |
2,787 |
63.2 |
|
Calculus AB |
2,756 |
64.7 |
|
Psychology |
2,542 |
74.3 |
|
U.S. Government & Politics |
1,866 |
65.5 |
|
Statistics |
1,799 |
74.1 |
|
Biology |
1,574 |
69.6 |
