Fairfax County Public Schools Named “Achievement District”

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is one of 388 school districts in the U.S. to be named an Advanced Placement (AP) Achievement District by the College Board.  The list recognizes school districts that make AP courses available to a broader pool of students as well as maintain or increase the percentage of students who earn a score of 3 or higher on AP tests. To be named an AP Achievement District, school districts must:

• Increase participation in or access to AP courses by at least four percent (for large school systems).
• Show a steady or increasing percentage of exams taken by minority students, including African American, Hispanic, and Native American students.
• Maintain or improve performance levels when comparing the percentage of exams scoring a 3 or higher in 2010 to those in 2008, or if a school already has 70 percent of AP students scoring a 3 or higher.

From 2008 to 2010, FCPS increased the number of students participating in AP from 14,220 in 2008 to 15,270 in 2010 while improving the percentage of students earning AP exam scores of 3 or higher, the score typically needed to earn college credit, from 72 percent in 2008 to 74 percent in 2010. Projected enrollment for Fairfax County Public Schools for the current school year is 175,296.  It is the largest school district in the state and the 11^th largest in the U.S.