JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Students of Mississippi’s graduating class of 2022 who took Advanced Placement (AP) courses achieved a 39.2% qualifying score rate for AP exams, according to the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE). This is an increase from the previous year’s achievement rate of 39.1%.

AP courses are college-level courses offered by high school teachers teaching college level coursework. Students can earn three college credits for every AP exam they pass with a qualifying score of three or higher.

Among the class of 2022, 18.4% (5,994) of graduates took a total of 12,768 AP exams during their high school experience, according to the College Board’s AP Cohort Data Report for Class of 2022.

Among the class of 2021, 18.2% (4,972) of graduates took a total of 10,865 AP exams during their high school experience.

The Mississippi State Board of Education requires all high schools to offer and enroll students in advanced courses including AP classes in the four core subject areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. During the 2021-22 school year, 66.5% of public high schools in Mississippi offered students at least one AP course, an increase of 15.7% from the 2020-21 school year.