Walt Whitman High School has again been named to the Advanced Placement (AP) School Honor Roll, earning the SILVER distinction for 2025. The College Board’s AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools whose AP programs are delivering results for students while broadening participation.

To earn this distinction, the school must meet or exceed thresholds in three areas the College Board calls College Culture, College Credit, and College Optimization. Headquartered in New York City, the College Board develops and administers standardized tests such as the SATs and PSATs. It also develops and administers the AP (Advanced Placement) courses and exams used by thousands of schools across the country to prepare high school students for college-level coursework, while also earning college credit and placement.  

“This recognition means we keep moving towards our goal of having every student here at Walt Whitman High School take an AP exam and get used to post-secondary work within their high school coursework, which better prepares them for college,” said Walt Whitman principal Dr. John Murphy. “I know they will find greater success if they're introduced to this advanced level of coursework while they’re still in high school. It’s a more structured environment with us and they’ll get the additional support they need to succeed which they would not normally get in a post-secondary institution. Whether it be extra help from their current teachers, after-school prep classes, before-school support classes, they get a greater understanding of the work that’s required in their AP classes and what they have to do to be successful at it.”

Walt Whitman students exceeded the criteria in all three measurement areas to earn Silver Recognition. Fifty-eight percent of graduating seniors took at least one AP exam during high school, which exceeded the minimum College Culture threshold of 50%. 

Also, 50% of seniors scored a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam, far exceeding the minimum College Credit threshold of 30%. Students earn college credit when they score a 3 or higher on AP exams. 

Walt Whitman also far exceeded the minimum 5% in the area of College Optimization, with 25% of seniors taking five or more AP exams during their high school years, with at least one AP taken in 9th or 10th grade. 

Because AP courses are college-level classes, educators agree that students who take APs are better prepared for college and more likely to graduate. Walt Whitman currently offers 34 AP classes in all core academic areas of study, plus the arts and AP Capstone. 

The South Huntington School District has been recognized by the National School Boards Association (NSBA) for its success in increasing diversity in its AP Program. The district won a NSBA Silver Magna Award in 2023 for the creation and implementation of its Voluntary Advanced Preparation (VAP) program. In a 10-year period, the program resulted in a 42% increase in the number of AP exams given, and a 34% increase in the total number of students taking AP courses and exams, and those numbers continue to improve.