College Board announced that Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) has been named to the Advanced Placement® Program (AP®) School Honor Roll, earning Gold distinction.

The AP® School Honor Roll recognizes schools whose AP programs are delivering results for students while broadening access. Schools can earn this recognition annually based on criteria that reflect a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximizing college readiness.

Last year, LOA had 75% of its seniors who took at least one AP exam during high school, 63% of seniors scoring a three or higher on at least one AP exam, while 31% of seniors took five or more AP exams!

●      LOA CURRENTLY OFFERS 22 AP COURSES

●      29 SECTIONS ARE TAUGHT PRESENTLY

●      14 TEACHERS AT LOA TEACH AN AP COURSE

LOA Executive Director Dr. Brad Bowling expressed his enthusiasm and pride in receiving this recognition, “I am incredibly proud of our school community for being recognized with this honor. This prestigious recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, teachers, and staff. It reflects our commitment to academic excellence and our support for advanced placement programs.”

From the perspective of an AP Human Geography and AP United States History teacher, Mrs. Mandy Lipscomb expressed the importance of Advanced Placement, “AP classes provide students with a great opportunity to kick-start their post-secondary plans. These courses are rigorous, and students learn to develop higher level critical thinking skills by emphasizing analysis and evaluation. This is very difficult for most students, but in the AP classroom, students are able to work closely with an AP teacher to develop and collect the necessary tools to problem solve. AP students exhibit motivation, reliability, and maturity to work independently - all of which provide a firm foundation for success in the post-secondary arena.”

“AP represents an opportunity for students to stand out to colleges, earn college credit and placement, and potentially boost their grade point averages,” said Trevor Packer, head of the AP program. “The schools have shown that they can expand access to these college-level courses and still drive high performance — they represent the best of our AP program.”