Non-profit Equal Opportunity Schools has found more than 650,000 high school students are qualified for Advanced Placement courses but aren’t enrolled in them. A Marketplace analysis of the 2011-2012 data shows how race is a part of that story. You can search for your school at Marketplace’s data tool below.
Some highlights from our region:
-Statewide African American students are underrepresented in AP classes by about 4.5 percent and Hispanics are slightly underrepresented at a quarter of a percentage point. Meanwhile, more white students are taking AP classes with an overrepresentation of 3.7 percent as are Asian students at 1.3 percent.
-High schools with a high percentage of AP participation include Hopkinsville High School at 51 percent and Murray High School at 48 percent. Schools with lower participation include schools in more rural areas: Calloway County High School had a 10.3 participation rate and at Muhlenberg County High School 13.4 percent of students took an AP class.
-One of the largest disparities was at Paducah Tighlman High School where African American students were underrepresented in AP classes at 32.3 percent while white students were overrepresented at 36.4 percent.