Rhode Island Leads the Nation in Advanced Placement Growth and Participation Over Past Decade

Rhode Island Leads the Nation in Advanced Placement Growth and Participation Over Past Decade

Published on Friday, March 13, 2026

PROVIDENCE, RI - Governor Dan McKee, Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green, and the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) today highlighted that the state continues to be a national leader in Advanced Placement (AP) growth and student success. Access to AP coursework helps students earn college credit, reduces tuition costs, and builds students' confidence in taking rigorous courses.

According to The College Board's recently released AP Cohort Data Report for the Class of 2025, Rhode Island once again ranks #1 in the country for the largest increase in the number of graduates earning a qualifying score on an AP exam, and the total number of students taking an AP exam over the past decade.

Statewide, the number of high school seniors graduating with at least one completed AP course has surged by 53 percent since 2015, representing the highest growth rate in the nation in the past 10 years.

Rhode Island ranks 14th in the nation in the percentage of graduates earning a qualifying score on an AP test, with 26.5% of public high school graduates earning a score of 3 or higher-outperforming the national average of 24.8%.

"My administration has made improving academic outcomes statewide a top priority, and we're thrilled that national data shows Rhode Island students are rising to meet higher expectations," said Governor Dan McKee. "By expanding access to meaningful and challenging learning opportunities including AP, CTE, and Dual Enrollment, we are better preparing Rhode Island students to thrive and compete in the 21st-century economy."

"Rhode Island's approach to reimagining and improving the high school experience is working, and our students are graduating better prepared for postsecondary education than at any point in our state's history," said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. "The latest AP results and our work to expand high-quality CTE and Dual Enrollment opportunities reflect our deep commitment to opening doors for student success for college and career. We're thrilled that our state continues to move in the right direction and we will continue to push forward."

From 2016 to 2025, Rhode Island districts have seen a dramatic rise in students tackling AP coursework. The top-performing districts for increased participation include:

• Narragansett - 64.1 percentage points
• New Shoreham - 36.4 percentage points
• Westerly - 35.5 percentage points
• Smithfield - 28.9 percentage points
• Barrington - 24.0 percentage points

Since 2021, Rhode Island has made targeted state-level investments to expand AP participation. Rhode Island invests funding for AP exam fee waivers covering the costs for low-income students. Additionally, Rhode Island invests in teacher professional development for AP instruction. The investments supported by the Governor and General Assembly have contributed to Rhode Island's significant growth in AP participation and pass rates.

These results build on Rhode Island's multi-year effort to expand advanced coursework and prepare all students for postsecondary success. Following a deep dive of the postsecondary experience that showed inequities, RIDE developed and is implementing Readiness-Based Graduation Requirements which took effect for the graduating class of 2028. The new requirements establish the default expectation that all students will graduate with open doors to create their own future.

In conjunction with the positive AP results and the new graduation requirements, RIDE has released the Advanced Coursework Preparation & Success Framework, a statewide guide designed to support schools in expanding access to rigorous coursework and improving student outcomes.

The framework outlines clear standards and recommended practices to ensure that every Rhode Island student, regardless of zip code, has equitable access to high-quality advanced learning opportunities, including AP, dual enrollment, and career and technical coursework. The Framework provides schools with guidance on building robust AP pipelines and supports, strategies to strengthen student preparation and readiness, tools for ensuring equitable access and eliminating participation gaps, and measures for tracking student success and continuous improvement.