Everett Public Schools sees more students taking AP classes

Published 2:20 pm Wednesday, March 4, 2026

EVERETT — The number of students at Everett Public Schools taking Advanced Placement classes has consistently increased over the past five years, data provided by the district shows.

Advanced Placement classes, known as AP, are college-level courses that high school students can earn college credit from. Since the pandemic, participation in those classes has increased significantly.

In the 2024-25 school year, about a third of all students in Cascade High School and Everett High School were taking AP courses, district data shows. Over half of the students at Henry M. Jackson High School were enrolled in an AP course.

Jeanne Willard, the school district’s executive director of college and career readiness, said the classes come with a number of benefits for students. They can save money on college classes by earning credits and also build their confidence, Willard said.

“They can see themselves as being ready for college,” she said in an interview Tuesday. “When you actually take an AP class and you do well, and many of our kids are doing really well, you go in feeling more confident about those choices.”

Students at the Everett district participate in AP exams at a higher rate than the state average. About 31% of students in 10th, 11th and 12th grades across Everett Public Schools took an AP exam during the 2024-25 school year, district data shows. Across the state, 17% of students in those grades took an AP exam, according to data from College Board, the nonprofit that administers the AP tests.

Districtwide, scores on AP tests also increased in the past five years, data showed. In the 2024-25 school year, about 79% of students earned a qualifying score on an AP exam, meaning they could receive college credit from passing the test. Everett High School’s scores have fluctuated over the past five years — decreasing between the 2023-24 school year and the 2024-25 school year — but remain higher than they were five years ago. Other high schools in the district have seen more consistent increases.

Teachers at the district undergo subject-specific training to help improve scores for students, said Tamara Harber, a teacher of AP U.S. History and AP Government and Politics classes at Everett High School. Each year, she attends AP-specific training programs offered by the college board and uses her experience scoring other AP tests to refine best teaching practices, she wrote in an email Wednesday.

To further improve student scores on the AP exams, Harber wrote that she, along with her colleagues, will continue ongoing training at AP events and analyze student data to develop targeted ways to help students where they struggle.

“By focusing on my own growth and supporting my colleagues, I hope to strengthen our AP program as a whole and give our students the best chance to succeed on their exams,” Harber wrote.

The College Board recognized the Everett School District for its AP programs by placing them on an honor roll along with other high-performing schools. Other nearby districts, including the Edmonds School District, Northshore School District and the Snohomish School District also received recognition from the College Board.

Willard said she hopes to grow participation in AP classes further through outreach events in the district.

AP classes are one piece of the district’s college and career readiness offerings. Everett Public Schools hopes to grow those through the introduction of International Baccalaureate classes, known as IB, a set of rigorous courses similar to AP that allow students to earn college credits. If approved by IB, Cascade High School is expected to offer the courses starting in fall 2027. Currently, the closest school offering an IB program is in Edmonds.

“You would think that kids would shirk away from really demanding coursework, but they’re not,” Willard said. “They’re saying that this is what they would like. So I think having this offering is going to be really valuable.”

Everett Public Schools is hosting an information event about the International Baccalaureate classes at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the Cascade High School cafeteria, at which students may register in the program early. To RSVP: tinyurl.com/3h36pjta.

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.