Oconee County and North Oconee high schools have been chosen as 2024 Advanced Placement Honor Schools, including the highest designation of AP Schools of Distinction.

State School Superintendent Richard Woods announced the AP Honor Schools, which are named based on the results of 2023 AP courses and exams.

“This recognition for Oconee County and North Oconee reflects a commitment to academic excellence and the dedication of students, teachers, and leaders,” Superintendent Jason Branch said. “AP courses help empower our students to set goals, reach their potential, and find success in college and careers. Our system has been strategic in its AP investments, and our students have benefited greatly from that.”

Oconee County and North Oconee earned the recognition of AP Schools of Distinction, which goes to schools with at least 20 percent of the total student population taking AP exams and at least 50 percent of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher. 

Oconee County and North Oconee also were named:

• AP Humanities Schools (schools with at least five exams administered in two Social Studies courses, one English Language Arts course, one Fine Arts course, and one World Language course, with a minimum of 25 total exams administered). 

• AP Humanities Achievement Schools (AP Humanities schools with at least 50 percent of all AP Humanities exams earning scores of 3 or higher). 

• AP STEM Schools (schools with a minimum of five students testing in at least four AP STEM courses, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science A, and AP Computer Science Principles, and a minimum of 25 exams administered). 

• AP STEM Achievement Schools (AP STEM schools with at least 50 percent of all AP STEM exams earning scores of 3 or higher). 

AP exams are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. AP courses are one of several ways Georgia students can access college-level learning at the high school level; students who receive a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP exam may receive college credit. 

The Georgia Department of Education began recognizing AP Honor Schools in 2008.