25 MA School Districts Make National Honor Roll

Twenty-five Massachusetts school districts have been named to a national honor roll that recognizes educators who assist students on college placement exams.

For the eighth consecutive year, the College Board has recognized school districts committed to increasing access to advanced placement programs for "underrepresented" students, the term applied to disadvantaged students.

These districts named on the AP District Honor Roll were also recognized for having students earning AP exam scores of 3 or higher.

Inclusion on the 8th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the examination of three years of advanced placement data, from 2015 to 2017, for the following criteria:

• Increased participation/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 6 percent in medium-sized districts, and at least 11 percent in small districts.
• Increased or maintained percentage of minority students scoring 3 or more on at least one AP Exam; and
• Improved performance levels when comparing the percentage of students in 2017 scoring a 3 or higher than those in 2015.

A * means the district has achieved the honor multiple years. A ‡ means the district has more than 30 percent of its enrollment qualify for free lunch. A + means more than 30 percent of the district's enrollment is made up of American Indians, African Americans, and Hispanic/Latino students.

Here are the 25 Massachusetts districts recognized:

Belmont Public Schools
Berkshire Hills Regional School District*
Beverly Public Schools *
Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District*
Chelmsford Public Schools*
Georgetown County School District
Grafton Public School District*
Ipswich Public Schools
Lawrence Public Schools + ‡ *
Lynnfield Public School District*
Maynard Public School District*
Natick Public Schools*
Newton Public Schools*
Norton Public Schools*
Norwell Public Schools*
Quincy Public Schools‡*
Ralph C Mahar Regional School District ‡
Reading Public Schools*
Somerset Public Schools
Swampscott Public Schools*
Swansea Public Schools
Triton Regional School District*
Wakefield Public Schools*
Waltham Public Schools*
Westborough Public Schools*

Image via shutterstock

Story by Kara Seymour, Patch staff