Wisconsin students outperform national average on AP exams

MADISON — Public school graduates in Wisconsin once again performed above the national average on Advanced Placement exams while in high school, a report released today showed.

 

The College Board’s national report showed 26 percent of Wisconsin’s Class of 2020 scored a three or higher on a five-point scale on AP exams during high school. The report ranks Wisconsin 11th among all states in that category, with 24.4 percent being the national average.

 

While Wisconsin Class of 2020 data indicated a slight decrease from the previous year of students scoring a three or higher on AP exams (26.2 percent), it represents a growth of 8.1 percentage points from the Class of 2010 (17.9 percent). Of the 68,956 AP exams taken by the Class of 2020, psychology (8,921), English language and composition (7,781), and United States history (5,937) accounted for the top three subjects.

 

In total, Wisconsin public and private high school students earned 51,793 AP qualifying scores of 3, 4, or 5 in 2020. These scores translate into 155,379 potential college credits, a potential tuition and fee savings of $47,235,216.