How one Michigan school district boosted AP class enrollment nearly sixfold

Corunna Public Schools has boosted AP class enrollment nearly sixfold
Students who score well on AP tests get money from the local education foundation
District leaders and teachers see value even for students who don’t enroll in college

Even as Michigan struggles to get more students on track to attend college, especially in rural or lower-income areas, Corunna Public Schools has engineered an academic boom.

Over the past five years, the district west of Flint has expanded Advanced Placement course offerings from three to 12, driving a nearly sixfold increase in AP enrollment from 33 students to 183.

“The more that we can push students in high school, (it’s) going to prepare them for life outside of school,” Superintendent John Fattal told Bridge Michigan.

Michigan has been pushing to get more students enrolled in AP classes, which can help them earn college credit while still in high school.

However, as Bridge recently reported, just over half of Michigan’s public high schools are offering AP classes. And inequities exist. High school students in Michigan’s wealthiest communities can choose from over seven times more AP courses on average than students in the highest poverty communities, according to a recent report from EdTrust-Midwest.

Students without access at school can take online AP courses from Michigan Virtual or neighboring districts.

In Corunna, roughly 55% of students are economically disadvantaged.

The area’s per capita income is $33,657, lower than the state’s $40,735.

The AP course push at Corunna began about six years ago when a group of teachers started brainstorming whether the district was offering enough challenging coursework for its top students, said social studies teacher Alan Montgomery.

“It was a lot of groundwork because I think there is a stigma with AP. It can be a scary thing. Students are worried about the workload,” said Montgomery.

The high school offered AP World History for the first time to 28 ninth graders in the 2021-2022 school year. Other courses followed.

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“The thing I really enjoy is it’s more than just a world history class,” said Montgomery. “We have to learn how to read a college-level text as college freshmen, note-taking strategies, study strategies, writing strategies, test taking strategies.”

At the same time, the district worked with the Corunna Educational Foundation to provide financial awards for those who scored well on AP exams. During the 2024-2025 school year, the foundation gave out $17,600 in awards.

Possible cost-saving measure

Students take AP courses in their high school and then a test at the end of the year administered by the College Board.

Many colleges will offer students college credit for scoring a 3 or higher on a scale of 1 to 5. That can save students thousands on tuition.

The tests cost $99 each, but the state provides funds so that students from low-income backgrounds only pay $5 per test.

More students ‘looking at college’

Recent Corunna graduate Jack Challender said his AP courses at the high school translated to 27 credits at the University of Michigan, where he just finished his freshman year. His father, Tim, who works at the high school, praised the effort to get ninth graders into an AP course.

“It’s such a great opportunity for these kids at Corunna, that they can start early if they’re ready.”

Fellow teacher and parent Denise Zeeman, said she notices “total buy-in of the district and of the students.”

“I just am seeing students more looking at college, more knowing they can do it, because the AP courses are definitely intense. They’re hard, but they’re supported by their peers, because they’re right there next to them.”

The district also offers dual enrollment courses through Lansing Community College, University of Michigan-Flint, Mott Community College and Baker College.

Additional perks

Only 45.5% of the Corunna class of 2025 enrolled in college within six months. But Fattal and Montgomery still see the value in the AP courses regardless.

If the district can encourage students to AP, career tech or dual enrollment courses, “when they walk across our stage with a Corunna diploma, that they’re ready for whatever their next step in life is, whether that’s moving into the workforce, going to a trade school, or going to a college,” Fattal said.

Taking an AP class can boost a student’s grade point average. That means it can still be helpful on a resume, even if a student doesn’t go to college, said Tim Challender, the teacher whose son attended Corunna.

Possible challenges

Fattal said the AP expansion did not cost the Corunna more money but it can add more work for teachers. A teacher in a larger district may only be prepping for three different courses whereas a teacher in a smaller district has more courses to prepare for, said Fattal.

Michigan ranks ninth nationally in increasing student participation in AP courses and 13th in improving student scores high enough to possibly qualify for college credits, said Michigan Department of Education spokesperson Bob Wheaton.

“Additional access to rigorous programs such as Advanced Placement is needed in our state, and the Michigan Department of Education will continue to provide support in providing greater opportunities to students.”

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