Brooke Macumber, principal at Coventry High School, told the Coventry School Committee that 144 students took 302 Advanced Placement exams this year and that Coventry outperformed both the Rhode Island and global averages on AP tests.

Macumber said more than half of the AP courses at Coventry recorded a 100% pass rate and that the school has steadily increased the number of AP offerings and high scores over several years. "If you receive a score of a 3 or higher ... you have passed the AP exam," she said, describing how a score of 3 typically translates into college credit at most institutions.

Macumber described benefits she attributes to the program beyond college credit, including improved study skills, higher weighted GPAs and the ability for some students to shorten college time by entering with credits already earned. She highlighted recent course growth such as AP Calculus II and noted a Coventry student who earned a 5 on the Calc II exam and was admitted to MIT.

Committee members asked how many exams students can take; Macumber said there is no formal limit beyond what fits in a student’s schedule and cautioned that AP courses are stressful. "We do caution them, though, because they're really stressful courses," she said, noting some students take as many as five or six AP classes if they can fit them.

Macumber and committee members said the district encourages broader participation, including students who have not taken AP classes previously. She said enrollment dipped about 100 students from 2024 to 2025 and that the total number of exams fell slightly, but that pass rates and the percentage of higher scores increased.

The presentation included references to supports the district uses, including teacher training and online coursework for low-enrollment AP subjects. Macumber credited long-tenured AP teachers and district investments in training for maintaining and raising scores.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the presentation; it was provided for discussion and community information.