Thomasville City Scholars Academy celebrated all things related to Advanced Placement on April 8 & 9, 2019, to recognize Thomasville High School’s recent designation as an AP Honor School by the College Board in four categories: AP Challenge, AP STEM, AP STEM Achievement, and AP Humanities.

AP Challenge Schools (44 named) are schools with enrollments of 900 or fewer students and students testing in four of the core areas (English, math, science, and social studies). AP Humanities Schools (142 named) are schools with students testing in the following AP courses: at least one English course, two history/social science courses, one fine arts course and one world language course. AP STEM Schools (200 named) are schools with students testing in at least two AP math courses and two AP science courses. AP STEM Achievement Schools (128 named) are schools with students testing in at least two AP math courses and two AP science courses and at least 40% of AP math and AP science exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
State School Superintendent Richard Woods named 230 Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Schools in Georgia for 2019.
“It’s essential that we offer a robust set of opportunities to Georgia students, and Advanced Placement is an important part of that,” said State School Superintendent Richard Woods. “I congratulate the educators and leaders who worked to create strong AP programs in these 230 Georgia schools, ultimately connecting students with high-level coursework and the opportunity to gain college credit.”
To celebrate and to continue to promote Thomasville City Schools’ AP program, Advanced Placement teachers received bags full of treats to share with their AP students and also an AP Trivia Quiz for them to fill out and return in class.
AP U.S. History, AP European History, and AP Psychology teacher Erin White created and then scanned the quizzes to determine the highest scoring from over 400 quizzes scored. The overall winner was Max White with a score of 11/15.
Some interesting national and local facts about AP appeared on the quiz, and answers were later shared with students.
• What are the most frequently forgotten items? A snack was #1 most forgotten item with 39% of students not bringing one. Not only was it the item students regretted forgetting most, but of the students who brought snacks, many commented that they did not have enough. Out of the students who remembered snacks, 15% wish they had brought more.
• When were the first AP exams given? The first exams were given in 1956.
• What are the most popular AP exams nationwide? #1 AP English Language and #2 AP US History (both over half million exams), #3 AP English Literature, #4 US Government and Politics, and #5 Calculus AB.
• Which exams have the highest pass rate nationwide? Top 6 in order are Chinese, Spanish Language, AP Seminar, Studio Art, AP Calculus BC, and Macroeconomics.
• Which exams have the lowest pass rate nationwide? Top 5 in order are AP Physics, US Government, AP Human Geography, AP Environmental Science, and AP U.S. History.
• What is the highest number of AP classes a THS student has taken? Two seniors at THS have each taken 15 AP classes.
• What was the mean score on all nationwide AP exams in 2018? 2.89.
• What portion of students in Georgia public high schools are enrolled in AP courses? Just over 1/3 are in AP classes.
• How many College Board AP courses exist? There are currently 38 AP courses that high schools in the US may choose to offer.
• How many exams did Thomasville City Schools order for 2019? THS has ordered 347 exams this year.
• What are the most popular exams at THS for 2019? AP Psychology - 44, AP U.S. History - 41, AP World History - 37, and AP English Language - 36.
• How many Thomasville City School students are taking AP exams in 2019? 159 students at THS are taking AP Exams.
White thanked her fellow teachers for everything all that they do.
“Whether they teach AP classes or not, all of our teachers are an important part of preparing our students for success on these exams,” said White.
AP exams are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. AP courses are one of several ways Georgia students can access college-level learning at the high-school level; students who receive a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP exam may receive college credit. The Georgia Department of Education began recognizing AP Honor Schools in 2008. This recognition began with three categories: AP Access and Support Schools; AP Challenge Schools; and AP Merit Schools. AP STEM and AP STEM Achievement categories were added in 2011, and the AP Humanities category was added in 2015.
Georgia’s public-school class of 2018 is ranked 16th in the nation for the percentage of students scoring 3, 4, or 5 on at least one AP exam during high school, and 13th in the nation for AP participation.

Thomasville High Scholars Academy Named AP Honor School 4/18/19