Ķvlog

College & Workforce Readiness

Here’s What College Board Research Says About How Many AP Classes Students Should Take

By Ileana Najarro — October 31, 2023 1 min read
Verona Area High School students Maddie Hankard, left, Gabby Henshue, center, and Allison Ford collaborate on a homework assignment during class time in an advanced placement chemistry course on Feb. 14, 2013 in Verona, Wis.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Advanced Placement courses, offered through the College Board, help prepare high school students for college level workloads.

But new research from the College Board this summer suggests that more AP courses are not necessarily better, in terms of college achievement. The analysis found that “performing well on more than five AP Exams does not markedly alter first-year college grades and four-year degree completion,” the nonprofit says in a statement.

Though students and counselors alike still question how many AP classes they should take if the goal is admission to a highly selective institution that values AP courses on transcripts without clarifying how many they wish to see.

See Also

A circular illustration of several books of different colors and shapes overlapping one another.
iStock/Getty

For more information on the College Board’s research into the relationship between number of AP courses, performance on AP exams, and future college success, see the brief below.

Events

College & Workforce Readiness Webinar How High Schools Can Prepare Students for College and Career
Explore how schools are reimagining high school with hands-on learning that prepares students for both college and career success.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
GoGuardian and Google: Proactive AI Safety in Schools
Learn how to safely adopt innovative AI tools while maintaining support for student well-being. 
Content provided by 
Reading & Literacy K-12 Essentials Forum Supporting Struggling Readers in Middle and High School
Join this free virtual event to learn more about policy, data, research, and experiences around supporting older students who struggle to read.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

College & Workforce Readiness Q&A College Board's CEO on How AP Courses Are Changing for the AI Era
College Board CEO David Coleman on AP’s shift toward career readiness, AI’s impact, and new courses in cybersecurity and business.
7 min read
College Board President David Coleman attends an announcement event on March 5, 2014, in Austin, where College Board officials announced updates for the SAT college entrance exam.
College Board President David Coleman spoke with Education Week last month about the organization's move to design AP courses with input from the business community.
Eric Gay/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Not Your Parents' CTE: How Career and Technical Education Is Evolving
School districts are redefining CTE to expose students to a broad range of potential careers.
5 min read
Hard hat on a stack of books, next to a wrench and screwdriver.
iStock/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness These AP Classes Were Designed to Attract Students of Color. Did They?
New data show two new Advanced Placement courses helped boost participation among Black and Latino students.
3 min read
Data shown on a computer screen.
iStock/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness The 10 Most-Requested AP Exams of 2024
Students continue to most request AP course exams in the humanities.
3 min read
Image of students working on a computer.
Carlos Barquero Perez/iStock/Getty