Chicago Public Schools Reaffirms Commitment to Advanced Placement Access and Equity

CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Wednesday recognized continued growth and success in its nationally-recognized Advanced Placement (AP) program, highlighting rising enrollment, stronger outcomes for Black and Latinx students, and tens of millions of dollars in tuition savings for CPS families.

“Advanced Placement opens doors for our students — to college credits, financial savings, and long-term success,” said Dr. Macquline King, Interim CEO/Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools. “We are proud to continue removing barriers so that every CPS student has the opportunity to thrive in AP classrooms and beyond.”

Since 2020, CPS has increased AP enrollment by 18 percent and the number of exams taken by 23 percent, with notable gains among Black (+10%) and Latinx (+5.5%) students. In spring 2025, CPS students earned 28,328 qualifying AP scores (3+), equal to nearly 85,000 potential college credits and $42.5 million in tuition savings for CPS  families.

Advanced Placement participation and success are among several early college and career credentials that the District tracks to ensure that CPS students are prepared to succeed beyond high school graduation.  Under Success 2029: Together We Rise, the District’s five-year strategic plan, CPS leaders set a goal to increase the percentage of high school graduates earning advanced course credits and career credentials from a reported 49 percent in 2024 to 70 percent by 2029. In 2025, the District moved closer to that goal with 56.3 percent of graduates earning at least one credential through Advanced Placement, Dual Credit or Dual Enrollment courses, International Baccalaureate Programme, the State Seal of Biliteracy, Career and Technical Education, completing an internship, and Junior ROTC programming. The District also monitors graduates' college enrollment and college persistence rate as well as scholarships earned as additional ways to track college and career success. 

Research continues to show the value of AP participation: CPS’ May 2022 graduates who took  AP courses persisted in college at a 90 percent rate into their second year, far higher than peers who did not. Illinois law guarantees credit for AP scores of three or higher at all public colleges and universities, accelerating pathways to graduation.

A National Leader in Advanced Placement

Over the past decade, CPS has built one of the strongest AP programs in the nation, recognized twice as an “AP District of the Year” by the College Board for expanding both access and achievement.

“Chicago Public Schools is a national leader in making AP coursework and exams accessible to all students,” said Trevor Packer, Head of the College Board’s AP Program. “By combining growth in AP participation with strong student outcomes, CPS shows that opportunity and excellence can go hand in hand.”

School Spotlight: Westinghouse College Preparatory High School

As part of Wednesday’s recognition, CPS Chief of Teaching Learning Nicole Milberg visited George Westinghouse College Preparatory High School  where more than half of graduates in 2025 scored a three or higher on at least one Advanced Placement test during their time in high school. Westinghouse students last year earned more than 100 of the College Board’s most rigorous AP Scholar awards. 

At Westinghouse, Chief Milberg visited an AP U.S. History classroom as they conducted a mock trial of 7th U.S. President Andrew Jackson as well as an AP Computer Science Classroom. Westinghouse serves students admitted through the school’s selective enrollment program as well as the career academy, yet all students are exposed to the variety of early college and career opportunities, including 26 AP classes, according to Westinghouse Principal W. Terrell Burgess.

“If you are accepted into Westinghouse, you are given the same rigorous curriculum - you are all a part of one house,”  Principal Burgess said. “Equity is not just about offering AP courses — it’s about making sure students have the support, encouragement, and financial access to succeed. We are thrilled to see more of our students gain the knowledge, college credit and savings that come with Advanced Placement classes.”

Access and Equity: CPS’s Approach

To strengthen access, CPS has expanded its “on-ramp” for AP by offering courses such as AP Precalculus, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Seminar, and AP African American Studies to help more first-time AP students build confidence earlier in their high school years. 

Westinghouse Junior Miranda Franco took her first AP class freshman year and has now  taken six AP classes and has earned a three or higher on AP exams taken to date. But the future business major said that even if she didn’t earn the AP passing score of a three or higher, she is grateful for the exposure to more rigor. 

“I’m really interested in the college classes and also the college prep,”  Miranda said, “That atmosphere, the fast-paced learning, the hands-on experience, prepares me for college and that more challenging coursework.”  

Through its partnership with Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS), CPS uses student experience surveys and targeted outreach to identify students with interest and readiness in taking advanced coursework who might otherwise miss out on AP opportunities. Counselors and trusted adults collaborate with students and families to support their transition into advanced coursework.

Westinghouse Senior Matrell Jones has taken three AP classes and is already recommending that underclassmen take the advanced coursework “as early as possible” and to lean on the school’s support services, including a late-afternoon teacher-supported study session.

“The classes are going to seem scary,”Matrell tells his younger peers. “But they’ll get used to it.”

Our Ongoing Commitment

CPS remains committed to protecting access and ensuring equity:

     - CPS will continue covering all AP exam fees for students who qualify for federal fee waivers — approximately 60 percent of AP participants.

     - The District supports schools in helping remaining families navigate exam costs and is working with philanthropic partners to reduce barriers for all students.

     - The Children First Fund, the District’s philanthropic arm, has created a special AP Exam Fund to help cover AP exam costs from individual donors as well as the philanthropic/corporate community. See their fundraising  page here.

AP Across the District

Advanced Placement courses complement other rigorous coursework such as dual credit and dual enrollment courses which are expanding nationwide and across CPS through partnerships with local colleges

AP courses offered in CPS support the goals of the District’s five-year strategic plan, Together We Rise, as well as the Black Student Success Plan. To date, 17 high schools, including Westinghouse, offer AP African American Studies. Lincoln Park High School, Rickover Naval Academy and Eric Solorio Academy High School are among the neighborhood schools that saw more than half of their Class of 2025 graduates earn a qualifying score of three or higher on at least one Advanced Placement exam during high school. 

CPS leaders will next visit Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy in early December as part of ongoing efforts to highlight schools advancing college and career readiness through multiple pathways. Brooks, like Westinghouse, offers Advanced Placement, Dual Credit and Dual Enrollment classes to ensure students have multiple opportunities and pathways to gain experience. After taking AP African American Studies with Teacher Chrishan David, Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy Senior Jordyn Buckhalter went on to enroll in seven AP classes at Brooks and is now on track to earn her associate degree through her school's dual credit program.

“In this class, I not only benefited from learning how the African diaspora developed and influenced societies across the globe over thousands of years, but I also gained a deeper understanding through the way my teacher presented the material and topics explored during the course,” Jordyn said.  “Studying W.E.B DuBois’s double consciousness theory and working on my project about Alain Locke's idea of the New Negro pushed me to reflect on my own identity and engage more directly with the course.”