The College Board has announced that five local high schools have been named to the 2025 AP (Advanced Placement) Honor Roll. Buchholz, Eastside, Gainesville, Professional Academies Magnet (PAM) at Loften and Santa Fe High Schools all made the Honor Roll, with Buchholz and Eastside earning Gold Status.
On its website, the College Board, which administers the AP program, says the Honor Roll program “recognizes schools whose AP programs are delivering results for students while broadening access.” Schools can earn the recognition annually based on criteria that reflect a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit and maximizing college readiness.
“The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools that have done outstanding work to welcome more students into AP courses ad support them on the path to college success,” wrote Trevor Packer, College Board’s Head of AP and Instruction in an email to the district.
Schools are recognized based three criteria, including the percentage of all full-time graduating seniors who took an AP test, the percentage who earned a score of 3 or above on an AP exam (which results in college credit), and the percentage who took at least five AP courses, including at least one as a freshman or sophomore.
To reach Gold Status, at least 65% of their graduating seniors must have taken an AP exam, at least 35% must have passed an AP exam, and 10% or more must have taken five or more AP exams, with at least one of those tests taken in 9th or 10th grade. Both Eastside and Buchholz were well above those standards. At Eastside, 87% of graduating seniors took an AP test, 45% passed and 47% took five or more. For Buchholz, those figures were 70%, 61% and 27%.
Gainesville High School and Professional Academies Magnet at Loften High School earned Silver Status for 2025, while Santa Fe High School earned Bronze Status.
The College Board also announced the status each school earned in each of the three categories. All five of the high schools actually earned higher status in one or two individual categories. Both Buchholz and Eastside earned Platinum Status in two of the three categories, Gainesville High and PAM at Loften earned a Platinum and a Gold, and Santa Fe earned two Silvers.
“This recognition confirms that our district is providing students the access and support they need to be successful in higher-level courses such as AP,” said Superintendent Dr. Kamela Patton. “The result is that our students are better prepared for college and the workplace.”