Equity & Diversity News in Brief

AP Computer Science Lacking in Diversity

By Liana Loewus — November 10, 2015 1 min read
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The pool of test-takers for the Advanced Placement computer science exam is still overwhelmingly white and male, according to data from the College Board.

The number of students taking the AP computer science exam increased by about 24 percent from last year, up to 46,000 U.S. students.

But the AP computer science exam has traditionally suffered from a lack of racial and gender diversity, and this year was no exception.

The number of female test-takers in computer science went up slightly over last year—but the group is still severely underrepresented, at just 22 percent. Ten states had fewer than 10 girls take the exam.

The percentage of test-takers who were members of underrepresented minorities went up just half a percentage point, to 13 percent. Twenty-three states had fewer than 10 black students take the exam, and in nine states no black students took it.

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A version of this article appeared in the November 11, 2015 edition of Education Week as AP Computer Science Lacking in Diversity

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