Dozens of Marion High School students’ hard work and dedication has earned them success on the College Board’s Advanced Placement exams. MHS students took 11 different AP exams in the 2025-26 school year, and in four subjects, 100 percent of students taking the exam passed! Overall, 87 students passed at least one exam, while 30 of those passed multiple exams — both an increase over the previous year.
Enrollment in our AP courses has increased significantly over the past few years. In 2025-26, MHS students took and passed 11 different exams: Biology; Calculus (AB and BC); Chemistry; English Language and Composition; Environmental Science; Human Geography; World History; AP Seminar (an interdisciplinary course); AP Research; and the portfolio-based 3D Art and Design.
In six subjects, MHS students surpassed the state and/or global percentage of students passing the exams:
- Calculus AB: 100 percent MHS passing rate; state passing 64 percent; global passing rate 65.8 percent
- Calculus BC (advanced): 100 percent MHS passing rate; state passing 80.7 percent; global passing rate 78.6 percent
- Chemistry: 100 percent at MHS; state, 83 percent; global, 81.4 percent
- Research: MHS, 100 percent; state, 90.9 percent; global, 89.8 percent
- Biology: MHS, 80 percent; state, 67.2 percent; global, 71.2 percent
- 3D Art and Design: MHS, 75 percent; state, 77.7 percent; global, 74.3 percent (wondering what art portfolios consist of? You can see examples from previous years here.)
AP exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5. A score of 3 designates the student as “qualified” and capable of doing the work of an introductory-level course in a particular subject at college, according to the AP Program’s website. Many colleges and universities grant credit and placement for scores of 3, 4 or 5, but the AP Program’s website notes that each college decides which scores it will accept.
Marion High School requires that students taking an AP class take the corresponding AP exam in order to receive the extra credit available for the class. (All AP classes at MHS are “weighted”, meaning that students can earn more credit for those classes because of their difficulty, as compared to standard classes. But students who don’t take the AP exam won’t receive that extra credit.) This leads to a very high percentage of MHS AP students taking the corresponding exams — which makes the passing percentages achieved by MHS students even more impressive.
Since 1955, the rigorous Advanced Placement Program has enabled millions of students to take college-level courses and exams and to earn college credit or placement while still in high school.
According to a study cited on the AP Program’s website, AP students have better four-year college graduation rates than those who did not take AP. Taking AP also increases eligibility for scholarships and makes candidates more attractive to colleges.
Marion High School offers outstanding early college opportunities to our students, and Marion Community Schools is proud of our educators’ work and dedication, and of these students’ excellent achievements. For information about how your high school student can take advantage of these early college credit opportunities and more, click here for enrollment information.