Chapter 2: Characteristics of Schools

Indicator 9: Advanced Coursework Offerings

A higher percentage of 2009 Asian/Pacific Islander high school graduates than their White, Black, and American Indian/Alaska Native peers attended schools that offered at least one AP or IB course; this percentage was also higher for Hispanics than for Whites. No measurable differences in AP or IB mathematics or science course availability were found between males and females either overall or by race/ethnicity.

Some 92 percent of 2009 high school graduates attended schools that offered at least one AP or IB course. No measurable differences were found between males and females (overall or among the specific racial/ethnic groups) in the percentage of graduates in schools that offered at least one AP or IB course. A higher percentage of Asian/Pacific Islander graduates attended a school that offered at least one AP or IB course (98 percent) than did their White (91 percent), Black (94 percent), and American Indian/Alaska Native peers (90 percent). The percentage attending such a school was also higher for Hispanic graduates (96 percent) than for White graduates. These overall patterns by race/ethnicity were generally similar to those for males and females.

A majority of high school graduates attended schools with at least two AP or IB course offerings in specific subject areas, including social studies (74 percent), science (71 percent), English (65 percent), and mathematics (61 percent); the percentages of graduates having access to two or more AP or IB courses in foreign language and all other subjects were 52 and 48 percent, respectively. No measurable differences were found between male and female graduates (overall or among the specific racial/ ethnic groups) in the percentage with access to two or more AP or IB courses in mathematics or science.

Higher percentages of 2009 Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic high school graduates attended schools that offered two or more AP or IB courses in mathematics than did their White and Black classmates (85 and 69 percent vs. 59 and 53 percent, respectively). This percentage was also higher for Asians/Pacific Islanders than for Hispanics and American Indians/Alaska Natives (62 percent). Additionally, the above patterns for AP or IB mathematics course availability by race/ethnicity held among female graduates. Among male high school graduates, the percentages with this level of access to AP or IB mathematics courses were higher for Asians/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics than for Whites and Blacks, higher for Asians/Pacific Islanders than for Hispanics and American Indians/Alaska Natives, and higher for Whites than Blacks.

Higher percentages of 2009 Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic high school graduates attended schools that offered two or more AP or IB courses in science than did their White and Black counterparts (82 and 80 percent vs. 69 and 65 percent, respectively). However, no measurable differences were found in the percentage of American Indians/Alaska Natives with this level of access to AP or IB science courses (66 percent) and those for their peers in any of the other racial/ethnic groups. These overall patterns of access to AP or IB science by race/ethnicity also held among males and females.

Technical Notes

AP or IB mathematics courses include calculus (AB and BC) and statistics. AP or IB science courses include those in biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, and design technology. Social studies courses include those AP or IB courses in psychology, economics, geography, government, politics, and history. Foreign language courses include any foreign language course designated as IB or for which AP testing is offered. Other AP or IB courses include those in fine arts, music, theater, and computer science. Course catalogs contained all of the courses that graduates could have taken in high school,including vocational, remedial, honors, special education, or off-campus courses, as well as courses taught in a language other than English. This indicator presents information on Asians and Pacific Islanders as a combined category because the data were collected in a manner that does not permit separate reporting. Since 96 percent of all Asian/Pacific Islander 5- to 24-year-olds are Asian, this combined category substantially reflects the situation for Asians, rather than Pacific Islanders. For more information, please see the introduction to this report.

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Figure 9-1 Percentage distribution of high school graduates, by number of advanced placement (AP) or international baccalaureate (IB) courses offered in school, race/ethnicity, and sex: 2009

Figure 9-2 Percentage of high school graduates in schools that offered two or more advanced placement (AP) or international baccalaureate (IB) courses in mathematics, by race/ethnicity and sex: 2009

Figure 9-3 Percentage of high school graduates in schools that offered two or more advanced placement (AP) or international baccalaureate (IB) courses in science, by race/ethnicity and sex: 2009

Table E-9-1 Percentage of high school graduates in schools offering advanced placement (AP) and international baccalaureate (IB) courses, by subject, sex, and race/ethnicity: 2009

Table E-9-2 Percentage distribution of high school graduates, by type and number of advanced placement (AP) or international baccalaureate (IB) courses offered in school, average number of courses offered, sex, and race/ethnicity: 2009