NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: February 27, 2024
Mississippi class of 2023 increases Advanced Placement participation
JACKSON, Miss. – The 2024 Advanced Placement (AP) Cohort Report has been released showing that 6,804 Mississippi public school 2023 graduates took AP exams at some point during high school resulting in 36.5% qualifying scores of three or higher.
The 2023 figures show an increase of students in Mississippi participating in the AP program. The 6,804 students represent 24.8% of all 2023 Mississippi high school graduates who took 14,423 AP exams during their high school experience. Among the class of 2022, 5,994 or 18.4% of graduates took a total of 12,768 AP exams during high school and had a 39.2% qualifying score. The number of Mississippi students taking AP courses and passing AP exams have both doubled since 2013.
The College Board, which has pioneered programs like SAT and AP, produces the annual report, which offers a measure of participation and performance on AP exams of graduates’ entire high school experience instead of only one academic year.
AP courses are college-level courses taught by high school teachers. Mississippi is one of 35 states with an established statewide AP credit policy. Mississippi’s policy entitles students who score three or higher on an AP exam to earn at least three college credits at any Mississippi public university or community college. According to the College Board, this results in more than $6 million of potential savings in tuition and fees for 2023 Mississippi public and non-public high school graduates.
Other highlights specific to Mississippi from the 2024 report include:
- 67% of public high schools in Mississippi offer students at least one AP course, and 28.1% offer 5 or more AP courses.
- Mississippi is among four states and the District of Columbia that have the largest 10-year growth from 2013-2023 in the percentages of graduates taking an AP Exam during high school.
- Mississippi is among the top states for having the largest 10-year gains in the percentage of African-American, Hispanic/Latino, White and Asian graduates taking an AP Exam during high school.
According to the College Board, AP students are more likely to finish their degrees promptly and save the costs of a fifth year of college, and 85% of selective colleges and universities report that a student’s AP experience favorably impacts admissions decisions.
To view the report, go to AP Program Results – Reports | College Board.
Note: References to the total number of high school graduates in the College Board’s report represent projections supplied in Knocking at the College Door (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, 2020).
Find all MDE news releases at mdek12.org/news.
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Media Contact:
Jean Cook, APR
Chief of Communication
601-359-3515
jcook@mdek12.org
Shanderia Minor
Public Information Officer
601-359-3515
sminor@mdek12.org