Westborough High's AP Scores "Very Strong"

Westborough High School students' performance on the Advanced Placement exams in May was "very strong," Assistant School Superintendent Dr. Daniel Mayer told the school committee Wednesday night.

Students must score a 3 or higher on the test to earn college credit, Mayer explained.

"WHS students continue to perform significantly better than the state and global averages," Mayer said.

Westborough had 94 percent of its students taking AP exams in May earn a 3 or higher -- "compared to 73 percent across the state and 61 percent globally," Mayer said. 

And Westborough students scored at least a 4 "on 77 percent of the tests, and scored a 5 on 44 percent of the tests," he said.

"The teachers just do such an amazing job that talking about '3 or above' isn't enough," Mayer said.

In 2012, 89 percent of Westborough students earned at least a 3, he said.

Westborough saw 184 students take 321 AP exams this past May, Mayer said. 

"This represents an increase of 44 students and 81 exams from the prior year," he said.

Westborough High School students took AP exams in 21 subjects, ranging from Art Drawing to World History, Mayer said. WHS students took some of those courses through the Virtual High School, he said.

AP courses are "highly regarded by colleges as an indication of student rigor" that "signals that they're ready for college-level work at competitive colleges," Mayer said.

The latest AP results are "a tribute to the high school and the dedicated staff there, and also to the kids," Mayer said.