Palo Alto Schools Rank High in College Prep

The number of Palo Alto Unified School District students who pursue college-level courses during their high school years—and score high enough to transfer the credit after graduation—has grown to more than 1,000, an outside agency announced Wednesday.

The College Board, a national nonprofit focused on widening college access for high school students, tracks schools in America and ranks them based on their Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Palo Alto is one of 388 districts with a prominent program that continues to grow, the board announced this week. The nonprofit tracks district progress over a three-year period.

From 2008-10, the number of Palo Alto students taking Advanced Placement courses grew from 978 to 1,107. Nearly all of them, 96 percent, managed to score a three or higher during that time, the number needed to transfer the class for college credit.

“A common element across these award-winning districts is that they are not focused on AP alone—they use AP’s rigor and high standards as a key element of a much larger college-readiness system. Efforts to instill rigor in middle school and foster a college-going culture prepare students for Advanced Placement course work as the final stepping stone to college,” said Eric Cantor, senior vice president of the College Board’s College Readiness division.

According to the board, more than 3,800 colleges and universities worldwide accept Advanced Placement courses, including 90 percent of America's four-year colleges. Last year, the board claims, 1.8 million students from 17,000 schools around the world took 3.2 million Advanced Placement exams.