Getting a head start: Illinois students 5th in nation for scoring high on AP exams

More Illinois students are taking Advanced Placement courses and scoring high on those exams compared to their peers in other states, the latest College Board data shows.

In 2025, 31.4% of Illinois public high school graduates earned a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam, ranking the state fifth in the nation, according to Illinois State Board of Education. On a 5-point scale, 3 is the minimum score to qualify for college credit.

Over the past decade, the percentage of Illinois students scoring a 3 or higher on an AP test has increased 8.4 percentage points. In total, 59,773 public high school students sat for an AP exam in 2025, according to the state.

That growth trend is mirrored at several suburban high school and unit districts, where officials cite greater access to rigorous and advanced courses, including dual-credit offerings, and qualified teachers helping better prepare students for college.

“We’ve had a steady increase in the number of students taking AP exams, but also … the proportion of students that have earned a 3 or higher on a 5-point scale” at both Naperville North and Central high schools, said Patrick Nolten, assistant superintendent for assessment and accountability at Naperville Unit District 203.

In 2025, 92% of District 203 high school students scored a 3 or higher on the AP exam, up from 88% the previous year. Test performance among Black, Hispanic and students who qualify for free and reduced lunch similarly has improved, Nolten said.

Nolten said the catalyst is the district’s emphasis on early placement in rigorous courses and academic acceleration. It offers 34 different AP courses, and financial waivers for eligible students. Among the 2025 graduating class, 52% of students took at least one AP exam and scored a 3 or higher.

According to the College Board, which develops the 38 AP courses available in a range of subjects, just being in “that type of academic environment is beneficial,” Nolten said.

“It’s not student performance in isolation. There’s a lot of factors that strongly contribute to that success,” he added, crediting the district’s teachers and community support for students.

Another district seeing AP participation and performance consistent with statewide trends is Lake Zurich Unit District 95.

In 2025, 44% of Lake Zurich High School students were enrolled in at least one AP course, a six-year high that reflects expanding access to rigorous coursework, said Angela Stallion, District 95 assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

Student performance on the test has remained strong, with 88% earning a 3 or higher score. The district also saw notable growth in exam participation, with 1,518 AP exams administered in 2025 — 206 more than in 2024 — and 691 exams earning a 3 or higher.

Greater access, growing participation

Educators attribute the growth in AP participation to the state’s new Accelerated Placement Act, which requires public schools to automatically enroll students who exceed or meet state standards in English, mathematics or science into the most rigorous, advanced coursework.

The state also has allocated funding to reduce the cost of AP exams for low-income students and provide grants to support districts that are expanding and strengthening AP programs, particularly for underrepresented students.

Illinois ranks second nationally for 10-year growth in graduates taking an AP exam during high school; third nationally in participation among Hispanic students; and fourth nationally in participation among Black and Asian students.

“These results show that when we raise expectations and remove barriers, Illinois students rise — and our entire state benefits,” State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders said.

Arlington Heights-based Northwest Suburban High School District 214 administered 8,881 AP exams in 2025, the highest number in the past five years. Roughly 39% of students took at least one AP exam, which is five to seven percentage points higher than recent years, officials said.

Student performance also has improved — 85.5% earned a score of 3 or higher on the test, up from 79% the previous year. Forty-six percent of 2025 graduates earned a 3 or higher in at least one AP test, representing a five-year high for the district, officials said.

District 214 students can access rigorous coursework through AP, dual credit, and other college-level options across the curriculum, while teachers provide differentiated instruction and targeted academic supports, Superintendent Scott Rowe said.

Rowe said the goal is to have 50% of students earn 15 college credit hours by the time they graduate high school, which dramatically increases their likelihood of finishing a post-secondary degree.

Multiple college readiness pathways

Setting high expectations for students, to entice them to earn early college credit and appreciate the value of gaining college experience in high school, has been a strategy at the state’s second-largest school district.

Elgin Area School District U-46 offers 27 AP courses, International Baccalaureate and various dual-credit opportunities in partnership with Elgin Community College, including courses such as automotive, welding, precision manufacturing, certified nursing assistant and fire science.

“We’re making sure that our students are getting the most relevant and rigorous curriculum that they can in all their other courses, and then we’re working with our teachers and our counselors to promote AP classes for students of all demographics,” said Michele Chapman, U-46 director of post-secondary success.

In 2025, 3,007 U-46 high school students — about 60% of the total — took an AP exam, and 37.6% of graduates scored a 3 or higher on at least one test. That was a 3% rise from the previous year.

“I really think it’s because each school has a post-secondary team and every high school’s goal is to make sure students have opportunities to experience early college … so whatever they’re interested in, they have a course for them,” Chapman said.