Westover High School named 2024 AP Honor School by state superintendent

ALBANY – The Dougherty County School System’s Westover High School recently was named as one of the 2024 Georgia Advanced Placement Honor Schools.

State School Superintendent Richard Woods named 276 AP Honor Schools from 99 districts across the state. There are eight categories based on the results of 2023 AP courses and exams.

AP Courses are college-level courses offered to high school students. They are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. Students can earn college credit if they receive a 3, 4 or 5 on the AP exam. The state Department of Education has recognized AP Honor Schools since 2008.

Westover was named one of the AP Expansion Schools, meaning it saw 25% growth in AP student participation from May 2022 to 2023 as well as a minimum of 25 students testing in May 2022.

Westover Principal William Chunn said it’s gratifying to receive this distinction from the state DOE.

“Our AP students and AP teachers do a very fine job on a yearly basis,” he said.

This is Westover’s 11th time being named an AP Honor School during Chunn’s tenure. Chunn said this is the first time the school has received the honor since 2019, after a 10-year streak from 2010 to 2019.

Chunn said this is a show of Westover’s hard work since 2019 and the COVID-19 impact, which impacted students and teachers widely.

“It feels really good because our students have been able to maintain their academic focus,” he said. “That’s been our message to them coming back after COVID – you have to maintain that academic focus. They’ve been able to do that, and because of that, we’ve been able to receive state accolades.”

Chunn said Westover encourages its students to challenge themselves by taking AP courses and to take advantage of the many opportunities offered at the school. To prepare for exam time, he said, the school offers AP tutoring sessions before and after the school day as well as during lunch time.

He said Westover students scored the highest in the AP Environmental Science, AP Biology and AP Language Arts courses.

Chunn said students and teachers are excited about the distinction and that it’s a motivator for this year’s AP students. He said after the gap from 2019 to 2024, there was a major call for celebration when they saw Westover’s name on the list.

“It’s a great accolade not just for our school but for our school system and our entire community,” Chunn said. “They have AP schools named all over the state of Georgia, and Dougherty County has one as well. It’s a great honor knowing we can compete with other schools.”

The school is looking forward to receiving the award again in 2025, Chunn said.

“Our AP students will always rise to the challenge,” he said.

Superintendent Woods said he is excited that the number of AP Honor Schools and school districts grows each year, in a press release from the GaDOE. He said it’s a testament to the commitment of Georgia public education to expand opportunities for all of the state’s students.

“I extend my heart-felt congratulations to the 2024 AP Honor Schools,” Woods said. “I commend them for their hard work to build strong Advanced Placement programs and, as a result, provide high-quality opportunities for Georgia students.”

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