<p>I tend to agree with Rodney. At my kids’ suburban public high school, there are prerequisites to many of the AP courses (such as an A in Chemistry 1 or a B in Chemistry 1 Honors as a prereq to AP Chemistry, or an A in both semesters of Honors English 3 as a prereq for AP English Language/Literature). Freshmen can’t take AP courses, and there is only 1 AP course available to sophomores. So even though the school offers 20+ AP courses, most of them are not really available to any given student. Even so, nearly half of the seniors who graduated last year took at least 1 AP class. The AP exam is required of everyone who takes an AP course, and according to the most recent school profile, 93% of students received a 3 or higher, and over 75% received a 4 or higher. 5 is the most common grade. My SIL works at another public school where AP class admission is not as restrictive, and their passing percentage is much lower. The AP test is not required of those who take an AP course, and the most common grade is a 3, followed by a 2. I have to think these courses are being taught much differently at one school than the other.</p>