School district boasts best AP performance in five years, gains in English language learning

Waltham Public Schools posted its strongest Advanced Placement test results in at least five years and gains in English language learning. 

This year 429 students sat for a total of 917 exams. Of those, 353 students earned a qualifying score of 3 out of 5 — a benchmark associated with greater academic success in college and higher graduation rates. 

The total number of tests given, students tested and exams earning qualifying scores were the highest recorded in the past five years, according to Assistant Superintendent Shannon Conley, who presented a wide-ranging review of the 2025-26 school year at the School Committee’s Aug. 12 meeting. 

For AP language, 76% of test-takers received a qualifying score, while 94% of test-takers qualified in AP literature. All students in AP 3D art and AP drawing earned qualifying scores, which Conley called a highlight of the year. 

Across AP history and social studies classes, students took a record-high 373 exams and earned qualifying scores on 75% of them. Derek Vandegrift, the district’s director of history and social studies, said this is part of a positive trend in both participation and achievement since the pandemic.

“In the case of Advanced Placement … the pandemic and its immediate aftermath were a low point. Beginning in 2023, we started to see a significant rebound. … That really solidified that the most important factors in students’ success are the relationship between student and teacher as well as the rigorous, in-person classroom experience,” he said. 

In the math department, students had access to new AP precalculus courses, with 95% of test-takers receiving qualifying scores — an unusually strong result for a new course, said Valerie Alfeo, the district’s director of math.

On why Waltham added the new course, Alfeo said, “We wanted to make sure that we were being as competitive as the other schools in the commonwealth,” adding that the course also lets students take an AP math class as juniors rather than waiting until senior year for calculus. 

Vandegrift credited teachers’ efforts, as well as students’ determination, for this year’s achievements. “The work that they have done, and continue to do, in support of student learning is the greatest factor in student success,” Vandegrift said. He added that there are no entrance exams or applications to get into AP courses at WHS — “students simply need to choose to take on the challenge.”

Both administrators encouraged students to continue to believe in themselves, highlighting the benefits of AP courses beyond high school. “Getting kids taking APs is definitely setting them up for more success when they get to college, because the level of rigor is best preparing them for that,” Alfeo said. She added that qualifying scores can eliminate the need for an equivalent class in college, which she said “equates to minimally thousands of dollars.”

Gains beyond AP

Conley also noted that 126 students, from pre-K through high school, became former English learners — meaning they gained enough proficiency in the language to no longer need English acquisition services. 

About one-fifth of WHS’s senior class earned the state’s Seal of Biliteracy, recognizing proficiency in a language other than English across a wide range of languages spoken in the community. The credential can strengthen college applications and help students stand out to employers. 

The district is also rolling out a new Spanish course next year designed for native and heritage Spanish speakers. More than 300 eighth- and ninth-grade students were assessed and placed into various levels of the new course for the 2026-27 school year. “This expanded pathway will enable many Spanish-speaking students to progress into advanced-level coursework and achieve higher levels of language proficiency by the time they graduate from high school,” Conley’s presentation stated.