Advanced Placement Courses

Baylor’s AP program was established in 1954, when the school became the first in the south and among only 38 schools in the U.S. invited by the College Board to participate in the pilot program. Today, the school offers 22 college-level AP courses, including eight courses in science, math, and technology. The most recent change took place in 2001 when AP statistics and AP environmental science were added to the curriculum. Baylor now has sophomores taking AP chemistry, juniors taking AP calculus, AP English, AP languages, and AP sciences, and seniors choosing from the full slate of offerings.

On average, over 80 percent of AP exams taken by Baylor students earn scores of three or higher (out of a possible five), often making students eligible to receive college credit or waive required college courses in the subject covered by the AP exam. In the past two years nine Baylor teachers have been invited to join a select group of high school and college faculty members from around the world to evaluate and score various sections of AP exams, ensuring that students receive grades that accurately reflect college-level achievement.

Baylor’s Advanced Placement Program – By the Numbers

• 1954 - Baylor becomes the first high school in the south invited to join the new AP Program.
• 22 – AP courses currently offered to Baylor students.
• 255 - Baylor students who completed AP exams in 2008.
• 1998 – Baylor math instructor Dr. Dan Kennedy receives national Siemens Award for exemplary teaching..
• 2008 - Baylor student Haelie Chung ’08 receives the state Siemens Award for outstanding work in AP courses.
• 2009 – The Siemens Foundation and the College Board select Baylor as one of 50 national recipients of the 2009 Siemens Award for Advanced Placement, recognizing the school’s AP participation and performance in science, math and technology as the best in the state.