Over the past several years, ETHS has made many efforts to broaden access to Advanced Placement (AP) classes. According to school data, during the 2023-2024 school year, nearly one third of students were enrolled in an Advanced Placement class. This is a 16% increase since 2019 in the total number of students taking one or more AP exams. However, there is an overrepresentation of white students in these classes. While 44% of the ETHS student body is white, over 60% of those taking AP classes are white, and despite significant participation growth, the racial gap among AP students has not narrowed.
This is a nationwide obstacle schools face: across the United States, similar percentages of Hispanic or Latino and white students participate in AP classes at 18% and 19% respectively, with Black/African American students at 11%. At ETHS, white students’ participation rate compared to any other racial group is 50% higher.
Efforts are being made to address this gap in AP enrollment. One such effort is teamASAP, an award-winning program that has been supporting the school for over 15 years, with the goal of making AP classes accessible to all students. According to Dr. Jody Elliott-Schrimmer, a teamASAP facilitator and English Department Chair, the program aims to “give all students the opportunity to take at least one AP class.”
New AP classes have slowly been introduced in an attempt to address the enrollment and opportunity gap. Students can choose between 37 different courses. To some, this seems excessive. However, this means students have access to advanced classes across a wide range of interests.
Orion Walker-Ortiz, a senior, believes that many students of color feel unwelcome in AP classes because they often hardly see any peers who look like them.
“Ms. Hartley’s AP class is primarily White, with few African American or Hispanic students,” said Walker-Ortiz. “This same discrepancy in class diversity was echoed throughout my junior year and has continued into my senior year, which is discouraging.”
Two years ago, administrators made the bold decision to offer the AP level of precalculus as the only precalculus option, a big step toward pushing all students to experience an AP course. In fact, Superintendent Dr. Marcus Campbell received exciting news from the College Board about participation in AP Precalculus.
“We learned that ETHS had one of the highest number of enrollments in AP Precalculus in the world, and that’s huge,” said Campbell.
While this effort expanded access to AP classes, its impact on student success remains a topic of debate. Based on statistics and observations from years past, the enrollment and achievement gaps between white students and students of color persists. Elliott-Schrimmer recognizes that these gaps may stem in part from unwelcoming spaces and privilege, but she remains hopeful for change.
“It’s been a conversation over the years about how to work with all students in creating a space where everyone can succeed academically but also feel connected to other people in the class, the curriculum and the teacher,” said Elliott-Schrimmer.
As Walker-Ortiz wraps up his time at ETHS, he expresses gratitude for his AP experiences and places high value on the resources that have supported him.
“I highly recommend that students take advantage of teamASAP resources like monthly meetings and review groups for AP exam season, for example,” said Orion.
ETHS prides itself on its commitment to racial equity and inclusion, yet this challenge in advanced-level classes remains unresolved. Not every issue can be solved by programs and new classes, though the school is taking steps forward.
