D218 continues upward trend in Advanced Placement

Last week the District 218 Board of Education received the annual report detailing data from The College Board on student performance on Advanced Placement exams. The Board learned -- as they have each August for more than a decade -- of the continued growth and improvement of District 218 students in AP.

AP classes challenge students with university-level rigor. Passing a national AP exam qualifies a student to earn college credit for that subject’s introductory college course.

The graduating class of 2024 broke a new barrier in D218: 25% of the seniors passed at least one AP exam during their high school careers. So, at least one in four graduating seniors left District 218 with college course credit earned from The College Board.

It’s the first time in district history a group of seniors has achieved this milestone.

“Our students continue to demonstrate that they can rise to the challenge when they are presented with rigorous and complex coursework. We’re pleased and proud of the fact that while our enrollment in AP courses continues to grow, student performance has either improved or been maintained,” wrote Director of Data and Accountability Andrew Deines in his report.

For more than 10 years District 218 students -- taught by devoted, talented, and creative faculty -- have demonstrated growth in AP.

District 218 includes Richards High School in Oak Lawn, Shepard High School in Palos Heights, and Eisenhower High School in Blue Island.