College & Workforce Readiness

Here’s What College Board Research Says About How Many AP Classes Students Should Take

By Ileana Najarro — October 31, 2023 1 min read
Verona Area High School students Maddie Hankard, left, Gabby Henshue, center, and Allison Ford collaborate on a homework assignment during class time in an advanced placement chemistry course on Feb. 14, 2013 in Verona, Wis.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Advanced Placement courses, offered through the College Board, help prepare high school students for college level workloads.

But new research from the College Board this summer suggests that more AP courses are not necessarily better, in terms of college achievement. The analysis found that “performing well on more than five AP Exams does not markedly alter first-year college grades and four-year degree completion,” the nonprofit says in a statement.

Though students and counselors alike still question how many AP classes they should take if the goal is admission to a highly selective institution that values AP courses on transcripts without clarifying how many they wish to see.

See Also

A circular illustration of several books of different colors and shapes overlapping one another.
iStock/Getty

For more information on the College Board’s research into the relationship between number of AP courses, performance on AP exams, and future college success, see the brief below.

Download the PDF

Events

Classroom Technology Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Rewiring of Childhood With Jonathan Haidt
Jonathan Haidt, Catherine Price, and Adam Swinyard join Peter DeWitt on how to get students off devices and back to the basics of childhood.
Professional Development K-12 Essentials Forum Getting Professional Development to Stick
Join this free virtual event to explore best practices, funding, format, and timing for teacher and principal PD.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
The Road to Opportunity: Making CTE Accessible for All
The most valuable CTE happens off campus. For too many students, transportation is the barrier that keeps opportunity out of reach.
Content provided by HopSkipDrive

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

College & Workforce Readiness Video How a "Reverse Career Fair" Can Launch High Schoolers Into the Real World
It flips the traditional model and allows students to set up booths to display their talents to employers.
1 min read
20260507 ReverseCareerFair EdWeek R5B 5725
Dustin Chambers for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Students Want Career Education. More Research Can Improve It, New Report Says
Career education is in demand from students and could be strengthened through research, a coalition says.
4 min read
Adult school student volunteer Starnese Sims, second from right in glasses, sings along with preschool children at Bradley Early Education Center, located on the campus of Maxine Waters Employment Prep Center, in Watts on May 5, 2026 . Adult school student volunteers visit Bradley EEC twice a week for field work as part of a career pathway that will earn them their child development assistant permit. The setup provides the preschool with extra staffing support and allows for collaboration between preschool teachers and adult school staff as students move through the program. The LAUSD early education center is home to the district's first experiment with non-traditional care hours through its expansion this year into evening child care.
A student volunteer sings along with preschool children at Bradley Early Education Center in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles on May 5, 2026. Older students visit the center regularly as part of a career pathway that will earn them their child development assistant permit. A coalition of education groups wants greater federal investment in research aimed at strengthening career-connected education that students are increasingly demanding.
Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via TNS
College & Workforce Readiness Not All Students Are College-Bound. More Schools Are Paying Attention
The "college for all" rallying cry is quieting down, even at traditional college-prep high schools.
5 min read
Boone Williams, 20, center, talks to other students in the apprentice training program class at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 572 facility in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Williams says eventually he expects to earn far more than friends who took quick jobs after high school. He even thinks he’s better off than some who went to college — he knows too many who dropped out or took on debt for degrees they never used. “In the long run, I’m going to be way more set than any of them,” he says.
Boone Williams, 20, center, talks with students in an apprentice training class at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 572 facility in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 2, 2023. Programs like this reflect growing interest in career pathways as more students weigh alternatives to traditional four-year college degrees.
Mark Zaleski/AP
College & Workforce Readiness A New Option for High School Graduates? Federal Aid for Workforce Credentials
Workforce Pell will grant students federal aid for certificate courses as short as eight weeks.
6 min read
$35.00Soon to be La Porte High School graduates listen to speeches from their classmates during commencement exercises Thursday, June 12, 2025, at Kiwanis Field in La Porte, Ind.
Newly minted high school graduates listen to speeches from their classmates during commencement exercises on June 12, 2025, at Kiwanis Field in La Porte, Ind. For the first time this year, high school graduates from low-income families can qualify for federal Pell Grants for short-term workforce training programs.
Amanda Haverstick/La Porte County Herald-Dispatch via AP