This year in Orange County Public Schools students took 20,512 Advanced Placement (AP) tests. This is up from 17,994 tests taken in 2008-2009 and 2,779 in the 2000-2001 school year.
The AP Program is sponsored and monitored by the College Board. The program allows high school students to take and receive college credit for college-level course work. After completing an AP class, students may take the AP exam. If a student receives a grade of 3, 4, or 5 based on a scale of 1 to 5, then he or she receives college credit from those colleges and universities that participate in the program.
The following table shows 2009-2010 results for each high school.
| School | Number of Tests Taken | Number of Tests Scored 3, 4, or 5 |
| Apopka High | 1058 | 458 |
| Boone High | 1350 | 780 |
| Colonial High | 600 | 234 |
| Cypress Creek High | 1245 | 428 |
| Dr. Phillips High | 1740 | 1131 |
| East River High | 411 | 103 |
| Edgewater High | 1196 | 413 |
| Evans High | 675 | 36 |
| Freedom High | 993 | 346 |
| Jones High | 607 | 82 |
| Lake Nona High | 284 | 78 |
| Oak Ridge High | 501 | 46 |
| Ocoee High | 955 | 212 |
| Olympia High | 1906 | 983 |
| Timber Creek High | 1694 | 978 |
| University High | 1536 | 398 |
| Wekiva High | 728 | 217 |
| West Orange High | 1168 | 480 |
| Winter Park High | 1861 | 1076 |
| District | 20512 | 8414 |
All students are encouraged to take AP courses. Even if a student does not perform at level 3 or above on the exam, exposure to rigorous course content means college will not be such a shock to the student. Research shows students respond to a challenging curriculum and perform at a higher level when challenged. Click here for an article in USA TODAY on the importance of aligning college admission standards with high school curriculum.
