Over 900 ninth through twelfth grade Park City School District students took one or more Advanced Placement, or AP, exams during the 2024-2025 school year. They represent almost 60% of the district’s high school population.
Of those, 87% passed at least one of their AP exams. The district released the test data in a July 24 press release.
“These results are more than a statistic; they represent effort, equity and belief in what our students can achieve,” Park City High School Testing Coordinator Rebekka Hall said in the release. “This is what happens when a whole community supports high expectations.”
AP courses are college-level classes. Students can earn three to nine college credits by passing AP exams with a score of 3, 4 or 5. Each test costs about $98; passing can save students thousands in college tuition.
The district reports students’ scores also exceeded both state and global averages in nearly every subject.
About 96% of Park City students passed the AP U.S. History exam with an average score of 4.14. That’s compared to Utah’s average of 81% and a global average of 74%.
Further, 90% of Park City students passed the AP Human Geography and AP World History exams compared to global averages of 65% and 64%.
More and more Park City students have been taking and passing AP exams in recent years, the district said. In 2021, just 40% of high school students took AP exams with only 30% passing.
The district credits the increase in AP exam participation and pass rate to its Dream Big program. The program supports more than 100 first-generation students every year through academic mentoring and AP exam preparation.
Park City High School also offers 29 AP courses. That’s compared to the 16 AP courses offered at Wasatch High School.
Park City School District is set to offer two new courses this fall: AP Seminar and AP Music Theory. It also hopes to add AP Cybersecurity and AP Business Principles in the future.
