One of the keys to success in college is having exposure to college level classes in high school, and of the most well-known and highly-respected programs with college level work is the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) program.

AP is a nationwide educational program for high school students who have the ability to complete college level courses while they are still in high school. Students enrolled in AP courses undertake rigorous workloads that involve extensive reading, writing, problem-solving and critical thinking.

Students in AP courses are encouraged to take a nationally administered qualifying examination. Students who successfully complete AP exams may receive benefits such as course exemption and/or college credit, permission to take higher level courses, eligibility for honors or special programs and earlier course registration as they pursue higher education.

Over recent years, the Upper Perkiomen School District has made strategic investments in AP courses, as part of initiatives to prepare students for their college careers and beyond.

“In order to give our students the tools they need to be successful in college, we want to provide them with the most rigorous, challenging and dynamic experiences possible before they graduate from high school. AP courses are a critical component of those types of experiences,” said Assistant Superintendent Andrea Farina.

These AP investments and achievements recently earned the district a spot on the College Board's AP District Honor Roll. Upper Perk was one of only 447 schools in the country to earn the recognition. Specifically, the district was recognized for their efforts to increase participation in AP courses over 11% in a single year. Read the Perkiomen Valley Patch article about the honor here.

The district is by no means resting on its laurels and past successes in this area. Upper Perk is committed to adding two new AP courses per academic year, with AP Physics and AP Studio Art slated to begin in 2018-19. Preliminary conversations about the 2019-20 school year include considerations for AP Spanish, AP Human Geography and AP Environmental Science.

In addition to the new AP offerings, Upper Perk High Schools’ AP offerings for the 2018-19 school year will include: Language and Composition/American Literature, English Literature and Composition, World History, European History, Psychology, United States History, Statistics, Calculus, Chemistry, AP Physics I, Biology I and Computer Science A.