In 2013, 40.6 percent of California’s public high school graduates took at least one AP exam before graduation, compared with 25.3 percent 10 years before.

Though AP participation among LAUSD students also increased over the same period, a little under 18 percent of district high school students were enrolled in an AP course last academic year, according to district figures.

The number of California graduates from low-income backgrounds taking an AP exam also increased, tripling over the past decade according to the College Board’s California supplement. Among African American and Latino students the increases were .5 percent and 9.7 percent, respectively, while participation among white students decreased by 8.4 percentage points in the 10 years.

The AP report still reflects demographic disparities in the quality of the scores. Among Latino and white students, 35.2 and 31.5 percent of students, respectively, graduated from high school with a passing grade on an AP exam. Among African American students, only 2.4 percent graduated with a passing grade.

In California, 29 school districts were cited by the College Board’s AP Honor Roll, which recognizes districts that increased both AP exam participation and the percentage of students scoring passing grades. LAUSD was not among them.

Previous Posts: LA Unified Sees Big Rise in AP Enrollment and Exams; State To Defray Costs of Test Fees for Low-Income Students

Nearly half of the most recent graduating class took the SAT, 22,106 seniors for the 2012-13 academic year, compared with 22,004 the year before.

“The trend continues in the right direction,” Superintendent John Deasy said in a press release.

The district’s average scores outpaced statewide gains on the test, while nationwide scores remained stagnant. The average LA unified score on critical reading rose four points to 435 (out of 800), while the average score on mathematics and writing each rose one point, to 442 and 437 respectively.

The schools with the highest percentage of seniors taking the SAT were Harbor Teacher Prep Academy with 94.3 percent, Foshay Learning Center (92.7), LACES (90.2), Contreras Learning Center (85.1) and 32nd/USC Performing Arts Magnet (84).