Salem High School AP Scores, Enrollment Vastly Improved Per College Board Report
SHS AP scholars eclipsing pre-pandemic performance
Photo by Dana J. Quigley/DJQMedia.com
SALEM (Aug. 13, 2025) – Salem High School advanced placement (AP) students achieved a milestone success rate in the 2024-25 academic year as the College Board recently released statewide AP data.
Among SHS’s 253 AP students, 168 scored higher than a 3 (out of 5), marking its highest percentage of students – 66.4 percent – to do so dating back to 2007, according to the DESE website.
The figure was the highlight of several significant improvements in AP testing and enrollment at SHS. Not only are more students enrolling in AP courses and taking exams, the results are vastly improved compared to recent years and pre-Covid-19 pandemic results.
The AP data released by the College Board is evidence of the hard work of staff and students at Salem High School who have embraced the school and District’s commitment to giving all students access to advanced coursework. This is consistent with the Salem Public School’s 2023-26 Strategic Plan and Salem High School’s redesign efforts.
“The high school team felt strongly that our students would benefit from more elevated learning experiences provided by Early College classes, Advanced Placement courses and through the adoption of a Pre-Advanced Placement curriculum at the 9th and 10th grade levels,” said Superintendent Dr. Stephen Zrike. “These results are a testament to our students’ ability to think critically, communicate with purpose and problem solve at the highest levels.”
“This level of achievement by Salem High School students in AP coursework is a continuation of the positive progress we’ve seen at Salem High and throughout our district over recent years,” said Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo, who chairs the Salem School Committee. “I know everyone in our community is proud of the accomplishments of these scholars. While there is always work to be done to keep our schools moving forward, this announcement is certainly a cause for celebration.”
AP students at SHS eclipsed the previous benchmark of 62 percent (194 out of 314) of AP students achieved a 3 or higher in 2012.
In the 2024-25 school year, 253 SHS students were enrolled in at least one AP course, up from 147 in 2023-24 and from only 60 in 2020-21. Subsequently, SHS’s AP students underwent 496 exams in 2024-25, up from 265 in 2023-24 and just 133 in 2020-21.
Among the highest AP grades were achieved in AP Seminar, in which students learn to research and write in different ways. Predominantly taken by sophomores and juniors, 90 percent of students enrolled achieved a score of 3 or higher, besting the state average (82.2 percent) and the global average of 82.5 percent.
Additionally, SHS’s grade 9 AP students are showing academic promise: the mean score in AP Modern World History was a 3.07.
“We are thrilled with the progress our students have made, with 66 percent earning a score of 3 or higher and nearly 500 tests taken,” said SHS Principal Glenn Burns. “This represents the highest achievement and highest participation level in more than twenty years.
“This is a reflection of our teachers’ commitment to providing access to rigorous coursework and the hard work of our students,” he added. “By fostering a culture of high expectations and providing the support students need to succeed, we are seeing results that should make our entire community proud.”
About Salem Public Schools
Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts, a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens through which we view our work. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff unconditionally serves each of our 4,000 students across 11 schools regardless of ability or language.
