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Catholic News Herald

Serving Christ and Connecting Catholics in Western North Carolina
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CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte Catholic Schools have been named to the College Board’s 8th Annual Advanced Placement District Honor Roll.

The Honor Roll recognizes school districts in the U.S. and Canada that have increased access to high school AP coursework while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams.

Only six school districts in North Carolina were recognized for this academic achievement. Nationwide, 447 districts were recognized. This is the first time the diocesan schools received this distinction.

Dr. Janice Ritter, diocesan superintendent of schools, describes the award as a gratifying confirmation of the efforts of the principals and educators at the diocese’s three high schools: Charlotte Catholic, Bishop McGuinness in Kernersville and Christ the King in Huntersville.

“I also congratulate our students who have chosen strenuous course work and responded with higher test scores. Our Catholic schools have once again shown that faith and a strong academic tradition go hand in hand,” Ritter said.

The achievement at the three high schools came as the rigorous course work of Advanced Placement classes was expanded to include students of all backgrounds. The AP curriculum is administered by The College Board and consists of standardized high school courses that are roughly equivalent to under-graduate college courses. After completing an AP class, students typically take the AP exam in that sub-ject, which can earn them credits and accelerated placement in college.

According to the Prep Scholar website, an AP class on a high school transcript signals strong academic training and can lead to more academic success at the college level. Nationwide, 2.4 million high school students take AP exams in 38 courses.

— David Hains, diocesan director of communication