Redondo Union Earns AP Distinction for Increasing Scores and Enrollment

Redondo Union High School is among 8 percent of schools in the nation that have both increased the number of students taking Advanced Placement courses along with AP scores.

This distinction for the local high school places Redondo Unified School District on the not-for-profit College Board’s AP Achievement List, which recognizes districts that improve.

The Redondo Unified is one of 388 school districts across the country and 37 in California to earn this distinction, according to a joint statement by the College Board and school district.

“The AP Achievement List districts are defying expectations by expanding access while enabling their students to maintain or improve their AP Exam scores,” said College Board President Gaston Caperton in the statement.

Students taking AP courses at Redondo Union from 2008 to 2010 increased from 464 to 533. At the same time, students earning AP Exam scores of three or higher also increased from 78 percent to 83 percent, according to the school district. A score of three is typically required to receive college credit for the course work.

“These results are a credit to the hard working teachers and staff at RUHS,” said Redondo Unified School District Superintendent Steven Keller in a statement.

While Mira Costa High School wasn’t included on the College Board’s list, 687 of its students took AP exams last year in May and earned scores of three or higher on 72 percent of the tests, according to the school’s website.

Hermosa Beach students have the choice of attending either Redondo Union or Mira Costa since there is no public high school within the city.

In an attempt to steer students to college, many high schools have expanded their enrollment in AP courses, which allow students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school.

But this has also resulted in an overall drop in AP scores as a broader cross-section of students participates, according to the College Board.

“Participation in college-level AP courses can level the playing field for under-served students, give them the confidence needed to succeed in college, and raise standards and performance in key subjects like science and math,” Caperton said.

California had the most school districts on the AP Achievement List with 37 recognized for improvement. There were 43 states represented overall.

The College Board examined the data of 4,869 school districts in the country, said a College Board official. School districts were categorized as either small, with 50 or more AP students, medium, with 200 or more, or large, with 3,500 or more AP students. 

Qualifications to be included on the AP Achievement List included:

• Increase in participation or access to AP by at least 7 percent (for medium-sized school districts);
• A steady or increasing percentage of exams taken by minorities;
• Scoring performance levels maintained or improved when comparing the percentage of 2010 exams with 2008, or more than 70 percent of AP students are already scoring a three or higher.