Los Angeles Unified school officials said Tuesday that student participation and performance in Advanced Placement courses have risen above pre-pandemic levels, citing double-digit increases in enrollment and exams taken since the 2020-2021 school year.
“This is the most hopeful sign Los Angeles Unified could, in fact, realize,” Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said, adding that the district has expanded both access to rigorous coursework and student success.
Advanced Placement (AP) courses, or college-level classes offered in high schools, allow students to earn potential college credit based on exam scores of 3 or higher on a 1-to-5 scale.
Since the 2020-2021 school year, AP enrollment in the district has increased 12%, including a 7% rise from 2023-2024 to 2024-2025, district data shows. During the 2024-2025 school year, 29% of high school students took at least one AP course, putting the district on track to meet its strategic goal of 30% participation by 2026.
Students completed 63,046 AP exams in 2024-2025, up 52% from 2020-2021. The number of students enrolled in an AP course who also took the corresponding exam rose 50%, from 39,843 students to 59,844 over the same period.
Carvalho said districts often see exam scores decline as access expands. Instead, LAUSD reported a 124% increase in the number of AP exams earning qualifying scores of 3 or higher.
“When you create additional opportunity and invite many more students to participate in this very rigorous coursework, you should expect that scores go down,” he said.
District data show double-digit gains across all student subgroups, including a 135% increase in exam participation among students with disabilities since 2020-2021.
College Board Chief Executive Officer David Coleman called LA Unified “a light” at a time when the school district continues to face enrollment declines, budget shortfalls and the aftermath of wildfires.
“I am here because LA is leading the way at a very important time in our history,” he said, noting that 70% of students identified as AP-ready enrolled in these courses, compared with 57% nationally.
In 2025 alone, LAUSD students earned more than 41,000 qualifying AP scores, representing over 124,000 college credits, Coleman said. He estimated those credits could translate into approximately $50 million in potential tuition and fee savings at California public four-year universities.
More than 73% of AP test takers in the district are Black or Hispanic, Coleman added.
Science Academy STEM Magnet, which posted the district’s highest AP performance, saw exam participation rise from 414 in 2022-2023 to 742 in 2024-2025, with 94% qualifying scores, according to district data.
“Our students haven’t just participated—they have excelled,” said Carlos Lauchu, Science Academy’s former principal.
At Marshall High School, where nearly three-quarters of students who took an AP exam earned a passing score, Principal Juan Puentes said the school’s AP classrooms reflect the diversity of the campus and the city.
“That is critical, because access without success is not equity,” he said. “At Marshall, we’re seeing both. We’re seeing students who may be the first in their family to attend college, proving that they can thrive in college level classes.”
Puentes credited AP teachers, counselors and district investments in covering testing fees and expanding training opportunities for helping broaden opportunities.
“Marshall Advanced Placement is not about prestige, it’s about preparation,” he said.
Research shows that students who take at least one AP course are more likely to graduate from college, Coleman said.
“Taking even a single AP course can change a student’s trajectory,” he said.
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