North Carolina continues to set a new standard in Advanced Placement (AP) exam participation and performance, with students in the state surpassing the national average for the fourth consecutive year. This consistent improvement highlights the state’s commitment to educational excellence and accessibility.
Data presented to the State Board of Education reveals that during the 2024-25 school year, over 90,000 students in North Carolina took more than 171,000 AP exams. This marks a significant increase of 7.3% in student participation and a 9.8% rise in the total number of tests administered compared to the previous year.
Of all the tests taken, 72.1% achieved scores of 3, 4, or 5, qualifying those students for college credit. Since 2021, the number of qualifying scores has nearly doubled, reaching a record-breaking 123,394 in the 2024-25 period.
The growth in AP participation and achievement was observed across all racial and ethnic groups, genders, and regions within the state. North Carolina’s performance outpaced national trends, with the percentage of qualifying scores increasing from 65.4% in 2024 to 72.1% in 2025, compared to the national rise from 65% to 70.1% over the same period.
“This is what it means to achieve educational excellence for all students,” stated North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice “Mo” Green. “Being able to increase scores while increasing access – two metrics that sometimes do not rise together – is huge. I want to thank all the educators around our state who see the potential of every student, redefining traditional ideas about which students can succeed in advanced placement courses. With their support and a lot of hard work on the part of students, North Carolina is on its way to being a national leader in AP courses.”
Regionally, the Southeast experienced the highest rise in participation with a 10.8% increase in student test-takers from 2024 to 2025. The Western region saw a 17.5% jump in the number of tests taken, while the Northeast reported a 28% surge in scores of 3, 4, and 5, highlighting significant year-over-year improvement.
Since 2015, North Carolina has focused on boosting AP course participation and performance through the enactment of GS 115C-174.26, establishing the NC AP Partnership. This initiative, funded by the legislature, involves collaboration between the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and the College Board, providing essential support and professional development for educators, especially in lower-performing districts.
The legislative efforts have also allocated state funds to cover exam fees for students, including fees for International Baccalaureate (IB) and Cambridge International Education (CIE) exams. For the 2024-25 academic year, these costs amounted to over $17.6 million.
Sneha Shah-Coltrane, senior director of advanced learning and gifted education at NCDPI, emphasized the impact of removing financial barriers: “Historically, the cost of the AP exam has been one of the barriers to entry for students interested in pursuing college credit while still in high school. Eliminating that concern has opened the door for thousands more students from all different backgrounds to reach their full potential.”
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