Good news — Barrington High School made the AP School Honor Roll and earned “Gold” distinction this year. 

The Advanced Placement School Honor Roll selections were announced last week — the award recognizes schools that are “committed to creating a college-going culture, providing students with opportunities to earn college credit, and maximizing college readiness through academic rigor.”

The AP School Honor Roll, which designates Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum awards, is calculated each fall based on data from the College Board from the previous year’s graduating class. 

Barrington High School’s Class of 2023 hit some impressive milestones in its Advanced Placement program. 

According to district officials, 70 percent of the seniors in the BHS Class of 2023 took at least one AP exam during their high school careers, and 63 percent scored a three or higher on at least one AP exam. Also, 11 percent of the Class of 2023 took five or more Advanced Placement exams, including at least one in their freshman or sophomore year. 

That information came as no surprise to Barrington Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore. 

“I think it demonstrates the level of rigor that our students want to engage with in the classroom,” Messore said during an interview last week. 

In a press release to the district, Messore wrote: “The Gold distinction recognizes Barrington High School’s dedication to preparing our students for both college and careers. Our AP performance acknowledges the incredible amount of hard work our students and teachers put forth in the classroom every day.”

Messore said it is important to remember that Barrington High School does not require students in AP classes to take the AP exams — that is a decision left up to them. 

“In some districts it’s a requirement,” he said. “We’ve never put that requirement on our students.”

In addition, Barrington High School offers the opportunity for all students to take AP classes. Messore believes that the vast majority of students in Barrington take Advanced Placement classes to enhance their learning experiences and challenge themselves. 

“High school is a balancing act, as students learn to manage their time and balance their coursework with the busyness of extracurricular activities and student life,” Messore wrote. “This phenomenal school-wide accomplishment reflects our students’ abilities to balance the rigorous academic demands of Advanced Placement courses with their engagement in athletics, community volunteering, leadership, and school organizations.”

How BHS earned Gold

A high school must achieve a number of key distinctions to be recognized for the AP School Honor Roll. For starters, at least 40 percent of the graduating class needs to have taken at least one AP exam during high school, and 25 percent or more must have scored a three (on a scale of one to five) or higher on at least one AP exam. The AP School Honor Roll designation also requires that at least 2 percent of the graduating class take five or more AP exams, and at least one of those exams was taken in ninth or tenth grade, “so that students are spreading their AP experience across grades rather than feeling disproportionate pressure in any single year.”