Who are AP Students?
Within the past couple of years, the number of Advanced Placement courses offered by Barren
County High School has exploded. Currently, BCHS offers 11 Advanced Placement courses, all
taught on our campus by Collegeboard trained teachers. AP classes have the reputation of being
rigorous and demanding, yet extremely rewarding. Why do students challenge themselves to
upper level college courses while they are still in high school? Here are just a few of the reasons.
Advanced Placement students  are more likely than their peers to earn a bachelor’s degree in five years or less.
 can earn college credit or advanced placement with qualifying scores on national exams
and save time and money while in college.
 demonstrate their dedication to their studies and their ability to succeed in college.
 move into upper-level college courses sooner, pursue a double major, study abroad, and
enter master and doctoral programs sooner than their peers.
 have experience studying and taking college level exams with the support of a high
school teacher.
 gain experience writing at the college level.
 increase their scholarship potential.
 increase their KEES money awards due to higher ACT scores.
 have higher KEES retention rates than their peers due to their experience of college level
courses prior to high school graduation.
 score higher on college admissions/placement tests thus eliminating remedial college
courses that are expensive and do not count toward a degree.
A common fear among parents is that taking such rigorous classes will hurt a student’s grade
point average (GPA) thus potentially eliminating them from scholarship awards. Although
mistakenly considered the most important factor in scholarships and college admissions, GPA
actually ranks third in this determination. According to the National Association for College
Admission Counseling, the most influential factor in the admissions and scholarships process is
Advanced Placement or rigor of courses taken with admissions tests such as the ACT and SAT
ranking second. In addition, the U.S. Department of Education reports that the strongest
predictor of college graduation is participation in rigorous, college-level courses such as Advanced
Placement.
What type of student is an Advanced Placement student? AP students are serious about their
education, outperform their peers in the classroom, and seek challenging college majors. AP
students range from artists to athletes, future farmers to pharmacists. Although the national
exams cost $87, all Barren County High School students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses
take the exams free of charge from the generous support of Advanced Kentucky and the Barren
County Board of Education. If you have any questions concerning the Advanced Placement
program at Barren County High School, please feel free to contact us at any time. With multiple
Advanced Placement opportunities, Barren County High School’s Advanced Placement students
are truly reaching higher, achieving more.