Doctor Kelly, district staff lead, told the School Committee on Dec. 16 that Revere Public Schools has seen a decline in Advanced Placement participation and exams this school year even as the district previously led the state on advanced-coursework completion.

"We beat the state every single time," Doctor Kelly said, citing Revere's higher historic participation rates. But she said this year AP enrollment and the number of AP exams administered have fallen alongside a roughly 7% drop in high‑school enrollment and that participation declines are disproportionately affecting high‑needs and English‑learner students.

Staff presented data showing AP enrollment fell to 329 students this year and that last year’s AP exam pass rate reached 62% after a low of 43% in 2022–23. Doctor Kelly said the district is studying whether some students opted for honors courses instead of AP or dropped AP after starting, and that more precise student‑level tracking would be needed to explain individual pathways.

To address the trend and the widening equity gaps, district staff announced plans to introduce two new AP courses next school year: "AP Business" and "AP Cybersecurity." Doctor Kelly said both classes are full AP courses that do not require extensive prior coursework and could attract students who view AP as inaccessible. "AP Business includes a whole unit on financial literacy," she said, noting that proposed state graduation rules will emphasize financial-literacy competencies.

Staff said the AP Cybersecurity course would align with the district’s robotics and programming pathway and help build college-credit opportunities for students in technical tracks. The district also plans to pay for teacher training through upcoming budget discussions to implement the courses.

Members pressed for more granular information on how many students start AP and later drop it and whether honors-level course offerings contributed to the decline. Staff said that information was not in tonight’s packet and that follow-up data would be provided in future presentations.

The committee did not take a vote on curricular adoption at the meeting. Staff said the courses are planned for next year subject to final scheduling, staffing and funding decisions during the budget process.