Danvers High Honored For AP Program Student Access, Opportunity

DANVERS, MA — Danvers High School recently earned national recognition for excellence and improvement in its Advanced Placement program

The College Board honored the school with a silver medal in both student access and student opportunity.

"I am thrilled for our students, families, our community and for the entire district, all of whom have worked so hard in the pursuit of our core value of academic excellence," DHS Principal Alan Strauss said, noting this is the first time Danvers High has received this level of recognition. "We have a renewed focus on excellence and achievement and this recognition is one significant data point which validates our continued growth."

The College Board uses three criteria to evaluate school districts’ AP success:

• College Culture — 40 percent of graduating seniors must have taken at least one AP course at any time in high school. Danvers had 58 percent.
• College Credit — At least 25 percent of students must have scored 3 or higher (on a scale of 1-5) on at least one AP exam. Danvers had 39 percent, which earned the district Gold status in that category.
• College Optimization — At least 2 percent of students must have taken five or more AP exams, including at least one in grades 9-10. Danvers had 9 percent fall into that category with gold status measured at 10 percent.

"We are very pleased with this recognition from the College Board," Superintendent Dan Bauer said. "It is a testament to the work of our students, teachers and administration at the high school."

In 2024, less than one-third of eligible schools nationwide earned AP Honor Roll designation.

Strauss said AP success is a district-wide effort.

"AP success is based upon the foundational work of every teacher K-12, not only our AP teachers," he said. "This is truly a school and district recognition that is vital as we continue to tell our story and grow our brand."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)