If you are moving to the Phoenix area and want to live in the “best” school districts, which metrics do you choose? There are plenty of information on the internet, including some rankings done by School districts and websites. There’s the AIMS (state mandated) test, the SAT scores, and more. But one metric you might not have heard of is the % of students passing an AP test.
Unless college-bound students are coasting, they SHOULD be taking AP tests and passing them. AP classes are becoming more important to Colleges looking for high quality students. If students score a 4 or more on an AP class, then most colleges will give credit for that class. A score of 3 is still good, but may not be included for credit by some colleges. AP classes are tough, but passing the test shows the real aptitude.
The school districts showing the highest percentage of students passing the AP tests include Chandler Unified School District at 11%, Fountain Hills School District at 10.2% and Paradise Valley School District at 8.8% (Paradise Valley School Districts service north Phoenix and north Scottsdale areas, such as Desert Ridge). Scottsdale Unified School District came in 4th, slightly below Paradise Valley.