AP Results Show 4 Years Of Growth In Bridgewater-Raritan Schools

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — The Bridgewater-Raritan school district’s 2026 Advanced Placement results showed gains in both student participation and exam performance.

Superintendent Robert Beers gave the Board of Education a presentation on the district's standing at the July 21 meeting.

Beers said the district plans a more in-depth discussion of testing results later, but shared AP data he described as "an excellent result" for the board and community.

Beers said the district’s AP passing rate, defined as students earning a 3 or higher on an AP exam, rose from 86.7 percent in 2022 to 95 percent in 2026.

He also said the number of AP exams taken increased 49.6 percent, rising from 1,366 exams in 2022 to 2,044 in 2026.

The mean score reached 4.10, up from 3.86, according to Beers’ presentation.

He also said students earning top scores increased over that period.

In 2022, 67.1 percent of test takers earned a 4 or 5, with a slight dip in 2023 followed by consistent growth, he said.

Beers highlighted government and politics, physics one, macroeconomics, U.S. history, calc BC, microeconomics, psychology and physics C mechanics as subject areas with some of the largest gains.

"This is an impressive result," said Beers.

He said 40 percent of students received a 5.

"This is tremendous where the results that we have right now really show four years of continued growth in this area," Beers said.

He later added, "We knew that providing additional students access to high-level courses would help everyone."

Beers said district leaders identified several years ago that more students could succeed in AP classes if they had the opportunity to enroll.

"The problem is that we had exclusionary practices that prevented students from accessing this higher-level coursework," he said. "And by expanding offerings and access to AP courses, students demonstrated the aptitude and work ethic necessary for success in a college-level class."

Beers said the district’s work involved teachers, administrators, supervisors, Principal Dan Hemburger, Dr. Karen Jones and the curriculum department.

"We know that student achievement does not occur by accident," he said.

He also credited students for the results.

"Congrats to our students. Because the main thing is we offered these kids the opportunity to take these courses and thrive, and they did it right," Beers said.

The superintendent said a broader review of testing results, beyond AP exams, is expected at a later discussion with the board.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.