Georgia has moved up to 12th in the nation in the percentage of seniors scoring a 3 or higher – a passing score – on Advanced Placement (AP) exams, according to The College Board’s AP Report to the Nation released today. Georgia ranked 13th in the nation last year.

This report measures progress of the class of 2012. When results are broken out by subgroup, Georgia’s African-American students rank second in the nation — behind Washington D.C. — in the percentage of seniors scoring a 3 or higher on AP exams. Georgia’s 10-year increase — 10.1 percent — in the percentage of seniors scoring a 3 or higher on AP exams also increased, ranking ninth in the nation.

Georgia held a high position for amount of public school students enrolling in AP courses and taking the exams. Only five other states in the country had a greater percentage of AP exam takers last year. The percentage of Georgia seniors who took an AP exam was 41.1 percent, compared to 32.4 percent for the nation.

“Georgia’s students continue to outperform most of their peers throughout the country on Advanced Placement exams,” said State School Superintendent John Barge. “These results show that Georgia’s students can compete against any students in the nation. Just as SAT results get everyone’s attention, I think the performance of our students on Advanced Placement exams deserves the same attention.”

Advanced Placement classes and exams are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. AP classes offer rigorous college-level learning options to students in high school. Students who receive a 3, 4 or 5 on AP exams may receive college credit. The AP Report to the Nation looks at data for 2012 high school seniors.

Among Georgia’s public high school seniors in 2012:

•There has been a steady increase in the number of Georgia’s public school students benefiting from the AP experience:

•The number of public school graduates leaving high school having taken an AP Exam in Georgia has increased by 149 percent in the last decade.

•21.7 percent — 17,767 — of students from Georgia’s public high school class of 2012 scored 3 or higher on at least one AP exam during high school, ranking Georgia 12th in the nation, compared to 19.5 percent for the nation.

•41.1 percent of graduates — 33,647 — from Georgia’s public high school class of 2012 took at least one AP exam during high school, compared to 28.3 percent — 21,730 — from the class of 2007 and 20.5 percent — 13,518 — from the class of 2002.

•Georgia is ninth in the nation when comparing the 10-year increase of seniors scoring a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam — 10.1 percent growth compared to 7.9 percent for the nation.

•The number of African-American graduates who took at least one AP exam during high school nearly doubled in five years, from 4,555 to 8,900. The number of these students who scored 3 or higher on at least one AP exam more than doubled, from 1,086 to 2,417.

•13.6 percent — 2,417 — of African American students from Georgia’s public high school class of 2012 scored 3 or higher on at least one AP exam during high school — ranking Georgia 2nd in the nation — compared to 4.4 percent for the nation.

•More of Georgia’s traditionally under-served public high school graduates are participating and succeeding in AP.

•The number of low-income graduates who took at least one AP exam during high school increased from 2,665 in the class of 2007 to 9,806 in the class of 2012. The number of these students who scored 3 or higher on at least one AP exam increased from 880 to 3,641.

•The number of Hispanic graduates who took at least one AP exam during high increased from 995 for the class of 2007 to 2,488 for the class of 2012. The number of these students who scored 3 or higher on at least one AP exam more than doubled during that time, from 599 to 1,375.

•7.9 percent of Georgia’s graduating class of 2012 was Hispanic and 7.4 percent of successful AP exam takers from the 2012 graduating class were Hispanic.