Hamilton Joins the Prestigious National AP Honor Roll

has been named one of the 367 schools in the United States and Canada in the AP Honor Roll, an award that recognizes schools increasing Advanced Placement (AP) classes and increasing the number of students passing the rigorous exams.

In the past five years, Hamilton High School has leaped into the AP spotlight by more than quadrupling the number of advanced classes it offers, jumping from 108 to 401. As a result, students at the high school now take the AP test four times more.

“Being selected for the AP Honor Roll is a significant accomplishment for Hamilton High School,” said Hamilton Principal Candis Mongan. “Our goal is to provide a rigorous educational program that allows students to be successful wherever they choose to go after high school.”

The AP program allows students to take college-level classes while still in high school. If they pass the exams, students can earn college credit for their work. Hamilton currently offers 11 AP courses with others offered periodically based on student interest.

Denise Lindberg, the spokesperson for the , said this achievement has been one of the top priorities for a long time, and being added to the AP Honor Roll is a tremendous accomplishment for the school.

“This is the stuff that’s really important to us, and it represents the heart and soul of what we do for our students,” Lindberg said. “We have a society that requires high skill levels, so we’re proud to be able to prepare students for it.”

The district’s accomplishments can also be seen in the actual test scores. During the 2009-2010 school year, which is the most recent available statistics, Hamilton High School had the highest passing rate for AP exams in all of Waukesha County with 89.3 percent of students gaining credit.

“More Hamilton students are taking high-level courses that challenge our students and provide them with the opportunity to earn college credit, advanced standing or both,” Mongan said. “What they are learning at Hamilton will be a great foundation as they move on to their careers and further education.”

More than 3,800 colleges and universities worldwide accept AP for college credit, advanced placement or both. This includes over 90 percent of four-year universities or colleges in the U.S.