Bishop Chatard High School has been recognized by College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) Program as a Platinum member of its 2023 AP Honor Roll.
Platinum is the highest of four levels of distinction awarded to high schools. According to College Board, BCHS earned this level due to its commitment to increasing a college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximizing college readiness.
“AP represents an opportunity for students to stand out to colleges, earn college credit and placement, and potentially boost their grade point averages,” said Trevor Packer, head of the College Board AP program. “The (recognized) schools have shown that they can expand access to these college-level courses and still drive high performance – they represent the best of our AP program.”
To earn Platinum status, College Board requires a school to meet three criteria. BCHS exceeded the required threshold for each of the criteria – expansion of college culture, assistance with college affordability, and optimization of college readiness – by:
- Enabling 86 percent of the Class of 2023 to experience one AP course before graduating (Threshold: 80 percent)
- Enabling 67 percent of the Class of 2023 to earn college credit by earning an AP Exam score of 3 (Threshold: 50 percent)
- Creating opportunities for 31 percent of the Class of 2023 to take a total of five AP courses across their high school years, with at least one taken in 9th or 10th grade (Threshold: 15 percent).
Research shows that students who take AP courses and exams are more likely to attend college and graduate on time, Packer said. The students who enter four-year colleges with credit from AP accelerate their path to graduation and build confidence for college success. And even for those who don’t earn college credit, he said, AP coursework provides early exposure to college-level work and contributes to a college-going school culture.
Bishop Chatard offers students the opportunity to take 20 distinct AP classes. Last year, over 87 percent of graduates earned college credit by taking AP or Dual Credit classes at BCHS, earning an average of nearly 14 credits per student.
Learn more about academic programs offered at Bishop Chatard
Updated Oct. 11, 2023