Sycamore Community Unit School District 427 is one of 539 school districts across 44 states in the U.S. and Canada honored by the College Board with placement on the third annual AP District Honor Roll for simultaneously increasing access to Advanced Placement course work and increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP Exams.

Achieving both of these goals is the ideal scenario for a district’s AP program because it indicates that the district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are likely to benefit most from rigorous AP course work. Since 2010, District 427 has increased the number of students participating in AP by 43 percent while the number of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher rose by 25 students. More than 90 percent of colleges and universities across the U.S. offer college credit, advanced placement or both for a score of 3 or above on an AP Exam — which can potentially save students and their families thousands of dollars in college tuition.

“I am extremely proud of the students and staff at Sycamore High School for this award,” SHS Principal Tim Carlson said in a news release. “The students have taken on a more rigorous curriculum to improve their opportunity to attend college and at the same time the staff has been willing to open their doors to a wider range of students, which offers more challenges to both teachers and students. We are extremely proud to be one of only 22 schools in the state of Illinois to receive this award.”