More LTHS Students Taking AP Exams: Data

LA GRANGE, IL – More students are taking Advanced Placement exams at Lyons Township High School, as officials are trying to get a more diverse group of students to take such tests.

In the report, the school said 85 percent of colleges have stated AP coursework plays a role in admissions decisions.

Last school year, 1,357 of the high school's nearly 4,000 students took at least one AP exam. That's up from 1,209 the previous year, amounting to a 12 percent increase in one year. Five years ago, 1,096 students took at least one AP test.

Last school year, 82 percent of AP exams at Lyons Township earned a passing score, up from 78 percent in 2022 and 72 percent in 2020. In 2019, the passing rate was 85 percent.

Also last school year, 78 percent of AP exams were taken by white students, who represent two-thirds of the student population. Hispanics accounted for 11 percent of AP tests, compared with their quarter share of students.

Meanwhile, African American students made up 1 percent of AP examinees, compared with their share of 3 percent of the student body. Asians, who also make up 3 percent of enrollment, took 4 percent of the AP tests.

According to the data, the passing rate of white students was 84 percent. That compares with 82 percent for Asians, 70 percent for Hispanics and 62 percent for African Americans.

Since fall 2021, the high school has worked with Equal Opportunity Schools, a nonprofit group, to expand access to Advanced Placement and dual-credit courses.

That partnership is reflected in the data, the school said in the report.