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All 3 NCSS high schools named 2019 AP honor schools
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COVINGTON, Ga. - All three Newton County School System high schools—Alcovy High School, Eastside High School and Newton High School—have been named 2019 Advanced Placement Honor Schools by Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods. The 2019 Honor Schools are named in six categories, based on the results of the 2018 AP classes and exams. Those categories are:

  • AP CHALLENGE SCHOOL: Schools of 900 or fewer students testing in four of the core areas (English, math, science, and social studies)
  • AP ACCESS & SUPPORT SCHOOLS: Schools with at least 30 percent of their AP exams taken by students who identified themselves as African-American and/or Hispanic and 30 percent of all AP exams earning scores of 3 or higher.
  • AP MERIT SCHOOLS: Schools with at least 20 percent of the student population taking AP exams and at least 50 percent of all AP exams earning scores of three (3) or higher.
  • AP STEM SCHOOLS: Schools with students testing in at least two (2) AP math courses and two (2) AP science courses (AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Physics B, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science).
  • AP STEM ACHIEVEMENT SCHOOLS: Schools with students testing in at least two (2) AP math courses and two (2) AP science courses and at least 40 percent of the exam scores on AP math and AP science exams earning scores of three (3) or higher.
  • AP HUMANITIES SCHOOLS: Schools with student testing in all of the following AP courses: at least one (1) ELA course, two (2) social science courses, one (1) fine arts course and one (1) world language course.

Both Alcovy and Newton were each recognized as an AP Humanities School and an AP STEM School while Eastside was named an AP Humanities School, an AP STEM School, an AP STEM Achievement School and an AP Merit School.

“This is a great honor and it speaks highly of the students’ academic aptitude and achievement,” Dr. Sandra Owens, Alcovy principal, said. “High achievement is usually the result of many positive factors, initiative, ability, parental support, and the dedication of the teachers to provide educational excellence. I am so proud of our students, parents, faculty, and staff; this is a testament for their hard work.”

“We are extremely proud of our students and staff,” Jeff Cher, Eastside principal, said. “Our students continue to challenge themselves by selecting rigorous courses that prepare them for life after graduation. Additionally, our staff takes great pride in delivering quality instruction at all levels to produce graduates who are equipped to be successful at any postsecondary institution. These recognitions are indicative of the professional dedication of our administrators, counselors, teachers, and staff who are blessed with exceptionally talented, gifted, and hard-working students.”

“Congratulations to the Newton High School AP students and teachers,” Dr. Shannon Buff, Newton principal, said. “We are so incredibly proud of the students and teachers who have worked hard to continuously build the Advance Placement Program at Newton High School. Our ultimate goal is to prepare students for life after high school graduation- participation and success in rigorous advance placement coursework achieves that goal.” 

“It’s essential that we offer a robust set of opportunities to Georgia students, and Advanced Placement is an important part of that,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “I congratulate the educators and leaders who worked to create strong AP programs in these 230 Georgia schools, ultimately connecting students with high-level coursework and the opportunity to gain college credit.”

AP 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.