Los Alamos High Earns 2025 AP Honor Roll Silver for Third Year

Los Alamos High School was named to the 2025 College Board Advanced Placement School Honor Roll with a Silver distinction, marking the third consecutive year the school has received that level of recognition. The designation underscores sustained participation in AP coursework and measurable student performance that bear directly on college readiness and postsecondary cost savings for Los Alamos County families.

The College Board reported that 62% of 2025 seniors at Los Alamos High took at least one AP exam during high school, while 54% of seniors scored a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam. Fourteen percent of the senior class took five or more AP exams. Los Alamos High offers 22 AP courses across arts, English, math, science, computer science, history, social sciences and world languages, taught by 17 teachers.

School leaders and the College Board emphasized AP’s role in expanding college-level opportunities, increasing college readiness, and broadening participation while maintaining strong performance. Principal Eric Ziegler and district representatives expressed pride in students and staff for achieving the recognition and noted the award reflects both instructional capacity and student engagement in rigorous coursework.

For local residents, the Honor Roll status has practical implications. Higher rates of AP participation and passing scores can translate into college credit, reducing tuition costs and shortening time to degree for Los Alamos graduates. The concentration of advanced coursework also factors into college admissions evaluations, potentially enhancing the competitiveness of Los Alamos students from a small, high-achieving district. At the same time, the distribution of AP access and supports remains a public policy concern for the Los Alamos Public Schools board and the community. Sustaining 22 AP offerings with 17 teachers raises questions about staffing stability, professional development, and equitable supports for students who are first-generation college applicants or face academic barriers.

Institutionally, the Silver designation should prompt district-level planning rather than simply serve as a public relations milestone. School board members and budget planners may need to consider investments in AP teacher training, targeted tutoring, and data tracking that disaggregates AP participation and scores by subgroups to ensure broad-based gains. The county’s tax base and workforce, which historically support local schools, have a direct stake in maintaining rigorous programs that keep Los Alamos graduates competitive.

Looking ahead, the recognition sets a baseline for measuring future progress. Los Alamos High can aim to increase the share of seniors taking multiple AP exams and to raise the percentage achieving scores of 3 or higher while ensuring access is equitable across the student body. For residents, the immediate takeaway is concrete: the district has preserved a robust AP program, and community oversight on staffing and program supports will determine whether that program expands or erodes in coming years.