The Georgia Department of Education recently named NC’s Magnet School for International Studies an AP Honor School, giving acknowledgement in all five award categories.

“Receiving this recognition reflects our school’s comprehensive approach to AP.  We promote acceleration in all areas, science/technology, math, humanities, languages, and the arts,” Magnet Coordinator David Stephenson said.

Receiving AP honor recognition requires Georgia high schools to exhibit rigorous AP course access and exemplary student scores on both AP exams and overall class grades. In addition to gaining the honor school recognition, schools retain the ability to earn awards in five sub categories–humanities, STEM, STEM achievement, and access/support.

“These awards show that our students students are being prepped in non-AP classrooms to be prepared for and to seek further challenge. I am particularly proud of the Access and Opportunity honor, as it demonstrates our commitment to serving groups who have often been underrepresented in college-level coursework,” Stephenson said.

Notably, while 16 Cobb County high schools retain AP honor status, NC’s magnet school stands as the only to receive all five sub-awards. The individual award results arise specifically from AP exam performance, with each requiring various conditions.

AP Humanities Award: Schools with students who test in at least one ELA course, two social science courses, one fine arts course, and one world language course.

AP STEM Award: Schools with students testing in at least two AP math courses and two AP science courses.

AP STEM Achievement Award: Schools maintaining at least 40 percent of the exam scores on AP math and AP science exams earning scores of three (3) or higher.

AP Merit Award: Schools having at least 20 percent of the student population taking AP exams and at least half of all AP exams earning scores of three (3) or higher.

AP Access and Support Award: Having least 30 percent of their AP exams taken by students who identified themselves as African-American and/or Hispanic and 30 percent of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher.

NC’s recognition stands unsurprising for most. The school’s rigorous course options and wide variety of AP options give students the opportunity to pursue college-level classes and earn exam credits. NC continues to set the bar for the entire county and rank high among other high schools state and nationwide.

“Ultimately, our success on exams comes down to the teachers believing in our students and our students believing in themselves. Clearly this is happening,” Stephenson said.