Who takes Advanced Placement courses in math and science?

While the proportion of public school students who took an AP exam in math or science has increased in the past decade, from 9.6% in 2002 to 16.9% in 2012, the proportion remains relatively small.

• The number of students taking an AP exam in math or science nearly doubled between 2002 and 2012, from 250,000 to 498,000.
• The proportion passing an AP exam in math or science has also increased since 2002, but at a slower rate, from 5.9% in 2002 to 9.1% in 2012. The number of students passing an AP exam grew from 154,000 in 2002 to 268,000 in 2012.