Norwood Public Schools on Dec. 3 outlined an expanded Advanced Placement (AP) program that school leaders said is producing both broader access and measurable participation gains.

At the Savage Center, the district’s AP presenter, identified in the meeting as Mister Ainge, told the committee Norwood now offers 25 AP courses and recorded 585 AP exams in 2025. He said 54 percent of eleventh- and twelfth-graders took at least one AP exam in 2025, with the district reporting a 75.7 percent overall achievement rate and 190 students scoring a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam. “AP is not for a select few,” Mister Ainge said, arguing the program supports equity and opportunity by expanding access and removing barriers.

Student ambassadors who spoke at the meeting described academic and nonacademic benefits. One student said AP coursework helped build time management and confidence; another described AP research and seminar projects as strengthening public speaking and college-level inquiry skills. One ambassador noted the AP experience also fostered social connections and classroom community.

District officials reported budget and program supports tied to AP expansion. Committee members were told the district budgets about $60,000 to cover AP exam fees and that a partnership with Mass Insight, which provides professional development and program supports, costs about $17,000. Mister Ainge said the Mass Insight partnership supplies Saturday study sessions, mock exams, teacher coaching and grant-funded materials, which the district does not have to fund through local professional development dollars.

Committee members asked for additional breakdowns — in particular how many high-needs students are participating and what share of multilingual learners and students with disabilities take AP courses. Mister Ainge said he did not have that cross-tabulated data on hand but offered to provide a demographic breakdown in a future report.

The presentation introduced a new AP ambassador program meant to support student recruitment and retention in AP courses. The program drew 39 applicants, all of whom were accepted, and ambassadors will help at open house nights, during course selection and as peer tutors over the summer. “We took them all because we couldn’t say no,” Mister Ainge said of the applicants.

The committee heard that AP coursework can reduce college tuition costs via exam credits and supports district strategic goals around equity and college readiness. The presenter also highlighted published student research stemming from the AP research course and said the district expects state recognition for its AP growth in early 2026.

Next steps: the committee asked administration to supply demographic participation data and to include the ongoing AP funding items in the FY27 budget packet for committee consideration.