Los Angeles Unified high school students have shown strong gains in enrolling in Advanced Placement courses, with just over half of beneficiaries who passed last year allowing them to earn college credits at multiple universities, officials announced Tuesday.
In the 2024-25 school year, approximately 60,000 LAUSD students are enrolled in an AP class, which is a rigorous, general, college-level course. In the five-year period beginning with the 2020-21 school year, participation in the district’s AP class increased by 50%.
Looking at its percentage of student growth, the Los Angeles Unified School District represents the highest participation rate of any district in the country, said College Board CEO David Coleman during a press conference.
“AP has been defined differently and for more students,” Coleman said. “LAUSD represents something different … that’s available to all who are willing and seeking a challenge and risk and that’s why it’s important.”
The College Board is a national nonprofit organization that develops and administers the standardized SAT test for college admissions and develops curriculum and tests for 42 AP classes, including biology, chemistry, calculus, English literature and several foreign languages.
More than 31,000 LAUSD students — about 51% — scored 3 to 5, which means they are eligible for college credit according to university policies, according to data from the College Board. However, the broader data reveals that the district’s scores still lag far behind the state’s numbers, which show that 71% of students who take AP exams pass.
Supt. Alberto Carvalho focused on how the district’s grades have improved: a 51% pass rate in 2024-25, a 15% improvement over the previous year, and an increase in participation.
“We have endured both fire and ICE in our community, devastating fires, terrorist attacks, trauma for our families and students and staff,” Carvalho said. “This is the time for us to announce that, despite these challenges, we are rising.”
Flanked by principals and administrators from across the district, Carvalho said there has been an “unprecedented” increase in access to AP tests, and some schools in the district are offering free or discounted options for students whose families can’t afford the $99 fee for each test.
“Some school programs and individual schools say ‘[AP] what’s done outside of school, that’s not our job,’” said LAUSD board member Nick Melvoin.
All student groups—including children of immigrants, ethnic minorities and those whose parents do not have a college education—have increased their passing rates over the past five years. Students with disabilities experienced a significant increase in participation, which Carvalho attributed to better accommodations and test preparation.
Black and Latino students—who made up 73% of all AP test takers in LAUSD last year—had a 37% and 17% increase in passing scores, respectively, according to data from the College Board.
Nearly all seven broad AP subject areas, including English, math and science, posted gains in qualifying scores. Two research areas showed a slight decline: AP Arts and Research, with a 2% and 4% dip, respectively.
“When the state inspection came out, we announced that the level of performance has improved a lot, it has increased,” said Carvalho. “Today, we say that the working ceiling is increasing.”
