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Fifty percent more L.A. Unified students in grades nine through 12 signed up for Advanced Placement courses in the last academic year than the number who did six years before, Superintendent John Deasy said in a press release Wednesday.

Nearly 18 percent enrolled in AP courses in biology, calculus, chemistry, English literature, foreign languages, government and history during the 2012-13 school year, compared with less than 12 percent in 2006-07.

Allowed to enroll in multiple courses, LAUSD students took more than 44,000 AP exams in May 2013, compared with nearly 30,000 five years ago.

“Even as our overall high school enrollment shrinks more students are choosing to take AP classes and exams,” Deasy said. “I congratulate them, and their teachers.”

Tests are scored on a five-point scale, about 40 percent of LAUSD students generally received threes and above over the past four years, according to the district.

Notably, 13 schools increased the percentage of AP exams with a passing score and the number of AP exams taken in 2012-13. They are: Torres Hum/Art/Tech, Orthopedic Hospital Magnet; Mendez Learning Center Math/Science; Fremont Senior High; Cleveland Senior High; Bravo Medical Magnet; Roybal Learning Center and Polytechnic Senior High.

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