AP (Advanced Placement) courses provide an opportunity for students to challenge themselves with year-long, college-level study on a specific subject. This preparation enables students to pursue upper level courses in college at an earlier stage, furthering their interests as well as expanding their educational opportunities.
At Father Ryan, the number of AP courses offered has grown significantly with the addition of subjects such as Statistics, Music Theory, Art and Spanish Literature. Nineteen different AP courses will be listed in the 2008-2009 curriculum guide—as a matter of fact, Father Ryan offers one of the highest number of AP courses in the midstate region as well as being one of only four schools in the middle Tennessee to provide classes in four languages.
The success that Ryan students have experienced has dramatically increased as the offerings have grown. In the past year,
- over 20% of the student body was enrolled in AP courses and over 330 exams taken–an increase of more than 100 exams in one year.
- almost 50% of the Class of 2008 took at least one AP class during their senior year.
- over 25% of those in AP courses took 3 or more—pending passing scores, some of these students will have already earned one year's worth of college credit.
For the past five years, the pass rate – a grade of 3 or higher – has remained a constant 80% or above. Over the pass 6 years, AP Calculus has a pass rate of 99.99%, with most students scoring a 4 or 5.
It’s a story of success that reflects the academic challenges our students embrace.
| School Year |
# Students in AP classes |
% of Total Enrollment |
# of Exams Taken |
Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-2004 | 97 | 9.9% | 173 | 80% |
| 2004-2005 | 109 | 11.5% | 199 | 80% |
| 2005-2006 | 126 | 13.6% | 220 | 80% |
| 2006-2007 | 131 | 14.3% | 231 | 82% |
| 2007-2008 | 182 | 20.8% | 331 | Pending |
