I meant to add that the AP US history teacher in our school was pathologically lazy. He did not give tests or assign papers. He spent most of the time in class telling stories about himself. He stayed in his job due to tenure, and a long practice of giving A’s no matter what, coaching soccer and taking kids out for ice cream after testing. Mr. Popularity.
One time he used an old exam for a class that had not covered WW II. Half the exam was on WWII. We told the principal. The teacher then made that whole half of the exam for extra credit so everyone did well and noone else complained.
His version of AP was to give my son a paperback book to read on his own. By the time my daughter got there, we opted out of his class and signed up for online (and later raised funds via a local foundation so 25 kids each semester could take online classes, which were so much better than the school.)
We complained and he was actually transferred out of teaching AP classes eventually.
My kids got into great schools despite the school’s mediocrity and culture and learned to take things into their own hands. But they did not prep!