What is AP?

The Advanced Placement (AP) Program offers college-level courses and exams that you can take in high school. The course and exam for each AP class is vetted by College Board and faculty from institutions of higher education from around the world.

There are 38 AP courses offered in multiple subject areas. Schools choose which courses they offer, but the full list of AP courses offered at Western can be found here.

AP Exams take place each May and are scored on a scale of 1–5. Most colleges grant credit, advanced placement, or both for qualifying AP Exam scores.

Taking the corresponding AP Exam is recommended and there is no cost for students in North Carolina. Taking the exam and getting a qualifying score is the only way students will earn college credit or advanced placement through the AP Program.

College Board. (2023). Parent resource: Understanding AP. – College Board Blog. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://blog.collegeboard.org/parent-resource-understanding-ap