For the fourth year in a row, North Carolina students increased their scores and participation in Advanced Placement exams, outpacing the national average and setting a new record for the state.
According to data presented to the State Board of Education on Wednesday, more than 90,000 students took over 171,000 AP tests during the 2024-25 school year. That represents a 7.3% increase in test takers and a 9.8% increase in total tests taken over the prior year.
Of all tests taken, 72.1% were scored a 3, 4 or 5 – demonstrating that a student is qualified to receive college-level credit for that subject. Since 2021, the number of exams with qualifying scores has roughly doubled to an all-time high of 123,394 qualifying scores in 2024-25.
Additionally, all racial and ethnic groups and genders contributed to the growth, as did every region in the state.
North Carolina’s growth continues to outpace the nation, with a higher percent increase in both test takers and qualifying scores. The state's qualifying score rates grew from 65.4% in 2024 to 72.1% in 2025, while the nation grew from 65% in 2024 to 70.1% in 2025.
“This is what it means to achieve educational excellence for all students,” said 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.”
Within the state, the Southeast region saw the highest increase in participation, with 10.8% more test takers in 2025 than in 2024. Meanwhile, the largest increase in the number of tests taken – 17.5% – occurred in the West. In the Northeast, there was a 28% increase in scores at levels 3, 4 and 5 – the highest year-over-year score growth.
Since 2015, there has been a statewide effort to increase participation and achievement in AP courses with the passage of GS 115C-174.26, which established the NC AP Partnership. The four-person, legislatively funded team is a partnership between the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and the College Board. It provides targeted district support focused on low-performing districts and statewide professional development for educators.
Importantly, the legislation provided state funding for that professional development and covers exam fees for students for all AP exams, in addition to International Baccalaureate (IB) and Cambridge International Education (CIE) fees and exams.
For the 2024-25 school year, exam and fee costs totaled more than $17.6 million.
“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,” said Sneha Shah-Coltrane, senior director of advanced learning and gifted education at NCDPI. “Eliminating that concern has opened the door for thousands more students from all different backgrounds to reach their full potential.”