Prince William County schools honored for expanding AP access; several earn Gold, Silver and Bronze awards

The Prince William County School Board on Jan. 22 recognized a group of high schools for expanding student access to Advanced Placement coursework and for improved AP outcomes.

The honors, presented during the board's Thriving Futures focus, included Gainesville High School (Gold), Patriot High School (Silver), Charles J. Colgan Senior High School (Silver), C. D. Hylton High School (Bronze plus an AP Access Award), Osborne Park High School (Silver), Forest Park High School (Silver) and Woodbridge Senior High School (Bronze). School leaders accepted the recognitions and described the local efforts behind the results.

Why it matters: School board members and division leaders framed the awards as evidence that wider AP participation can coexist with improved graduation rates and more equitable outcomes for underrepresented students. Several principals and staff described targeted advising, counseling outreach and classroom supports that helped first-time AP students enroll and persist.

Gainesville Principal Neil Beach said over 65% of his school's graduating cohort took at least one AP exam and praised teachers who committed to supporting students in rigorous coursework. "The Advanced Placement Honor Roll Gold Award recognizes the hard work of our students," Beach said.

C. D. Hylton Principal Cassandra Crawford described the school's AP Access Award as the result of a coordinated program they called EOS, which, she said, provided tools for identifying and supporting students who historically had not taken AP classes. Former AP teacher Darcy Stanley told one success story of a student who first took a regular sophomore course, later took AP macroeconomics, scored a 4 on the exam and went on to take several AP classes as a senior.

Osborne Park Principal Lisa Marie Kane provided outcome data: last year the school administered 1,812 AP exams to 863 students, with 71.5% scoring a 3 or higher. She also said the school more than doubled the number of English learners taking AP courses and improved pass rates among Hispanic students.

Forest Park, Patriot, Colgan and Woodbridge principals and staff also described outreach and counseling strategies used to recruit and retain students in AP classes and to provide supports when students struggle early in a course.

Board members and Superintendent Dr. McDade emphasized that the recognitions reflect both student effort and system-level supports. McDade said the division's goal is to ensure students not only gain access to AP courses but also have trusted adults and supports to stay and succeed in them.

The board paused after the recognitions for photographs with school teams.

The board did not take formal action related to the awards; the segment was a recognition item on the public agenda.