HHS Placed on AP District Honor Roll

Holliston High School Placed on the College Board’s 6th Annual AP® District Honor Roll for Significant Gains in Student Access and Success

425 School Districts Across the U.S. and Canada Are Honored

Holliston High School is one of only 425 school districts in the United States and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the 6th Annual AP® District Honor Roll for increasing access to Advanced Placement (AP) course work while simultaneously maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP Exams. AP courses are the most academically rigorous courses offered in US high schools and students who achieve a score of 3 or higher on the nationally-developed AP exam are eligible to receive college credit for the course.

Inclusion on the 6th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on the examination of three years of AP data, from 2013 to 2015, looking across 34 AP Exams, including world language and culture. In order to receive this prestigious honor, a high school must:

• Increase participation/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 6 percent in medium districts, and at least 11 percent in small districts; 
• While at the same time either: 
• Increasing the percentage of students who passed the AP exam (received a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP exam); or 
• Maintaining a pass-rate greater than 70% 

“We blew those numbers of out the water,” said Superintendent of Schools Bradford L. Jackson. “Between 2013 and 2015, Holliston High School increased our participation rate by 43% while our passing rate has stayed above 80%, far above the state and national average.”

According to Holliston High School Principal, Nicole Bottomley, “Increasing access to our most rigorous courses has been a goal of Holliston High School over the past several years. The faculty worked very hard to make adjustments to our course offerings and to encourage students who might be reluctant to challenge themselves. At the same time, our teachers maintained the high academic standards required of students who take Advanced Placement courses which resulted in HHS maintaining such a high passing rate.”

“That the committed teachers and administrators in this district have both expanded AP access and also helped their students achieve high levels of performance on AP Exams shows they’re delivering opportunity in their schools and classrooms, and it is a real testament to their belief that a more diverse population of young people is ready for the challenge of college,” said Trevor Packer, the College Board’s senior vice president of AP and Instruction. “Congratulations to these teachers and administrators, and to their hard-working students.”