Advanced Placement Scores Increase Across Chatham County

Last week, Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools reported a gain of 14% in Advance Placement scores. Some local private schools also saw increased student performance in AP exams.

Jeff Plunk, Head of School at Savannah Christian Preparatory School says of his school’s performance, “We are super excited and happy for our students and the teachers as well.”

In addition to his administrative duties, Plunk teaches AP Statistics. He says, “I use a lot of old questions as part of my tests throughout the year so that students become accustomed to the types of questions they’re going to see. It can obviously be stressful, college courses and exams can also be stressful. I tell people that school without stress is called summer.”

“We don’t get a whole lot of external metrics that say, ‘are we doing a good job at what we are doing’; so I do think that AP exams are one way that we get to see that,” says Plunk. “That’s why I’m pleased to see our results and our progress over the last several years. We’ve done well in terms of percentages of kids who pass, but also, what I’m more proud of is that more of our students are sitting for the exams.”

In 2023 SCPS had 112 students take one or more AP exams. This year that number increased to 145 students; 86% of those students received a score of three or higher. “Our pass rate went up by one percent, we have more students taking the exams and still performing at a very high level,” says Plunk.

Savannah Country Day School also saw a bump in student performance on AP exams. 
Kef Wilson, Head of School for Savannah Country Day School says, "We were pleased to learn that our students achieved an 88% pass rate on the recent Advanced Placement exams, the highest in five years. As we require all students enrolled in an AP class to sit for the exam, this pass rate reflects the commitment and partnership of our students and faculty throughout the year."

Ella Stone, a member of the SCDS class of 2024 gives a lot of the credit to her teachers, “A good AP teacher is one that understands the material enough to teach a concept using many different methods. I had great teachers who would use different observations or examples so that everyone fully understood the topic. Although, the most important trait in an AP teacher is one who truly supports you and shows that they have confidence in you, the extra boost will get you to your full potential.”

Stone graduated having completed nine AP classes. Seeing value beyond the scores that she received on the exams, Stone says, “AP courses will benefit me in college because they taught me to study as you learn so that the material is not as daunting, and to create relationships with your teachers and professors because they will help you succeed in so many aspects.”

Starting next month, Stone will begin her collegiate career at the University of Georgia.
Lily Floyd, a member of the Savannah Christian Preparatory School class of 2024 took AP English Language and Composition this year. She says, “While I was taking the class and through all the practice exams my score was projected to be a 4, so I was excited for my score to come out. It was my first AP, so I was extremely nervous and stressed during the exam.”

“When it finally came time to check my score, I woke up at 8 a.m. just to check it,” says Floyd. While Floyd’s score wasn’t what she had hoped, she says of the class, “I do feel like I improved my writing ability.”

Lucy Thompson, also SCPS class of 2024, took eight AP classes during her time in high school and will be attending the University of Georgia. “I got four 5s, I got three 4s, and I got a 2 on AP Physics," says Thompson.  "At UGA they mainly accept only 4s and 5s. 5s can sometimes give you credit for more than one class. For example, my 5 on AP Literature got me a credit for English 1001 and 1002. With all my AP scores and my 3 dual enrollment credits, I am going in as a sophomore.”

AP exams are graded on a scale of 1 to 5; a 3 is considered passing, but not all colleges accept AP credits.

“The test experience varied for me for different classes. I remember AP World was my first AP class ever so it started off really stressful, but I ended up relaxing as the test went on because I felt really prepared. As you continue testing, the pre-test questions become very routine,” says Thompson.

Thompson continues, “I think overall the exams will be stressful no matter who you are. They vary from exam to exam, and from teacher to teacher. For me, my AP Calculus exam was the most stressful because of how difficult the subject is, and at my college I needed a 4 for college credit. But I just had to remember to breathe and try to focus on all I learned the whole year. Ultimately, our teachers work very hard to prepare us, and we can only try our best on each exam.”

In addition to AP classes, the College Board, a nonprofit organization, also administers the SAT and PSAT exams. In 2023, the College Board reported administering more than 5 million AP exams. It costs schools $98 for a student to take an AP exam.