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2 Utah school districts named to AP Honor Roll

Education • Davis is one of four districts that have been on the list each year since its creation.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Education. Topic illustration for online stories when needed.

Two Utah school districts are among 433 nationwide to be included in this year's Advanced Placement Honor Roll.

The recognition, awarded to districts that increase both AP participation and success rates, continues a seven-year streak for Davis School District.

Davis is one of four school districts in the United States and Canada to have been listed in the Honor Roll each year since its creation.

"This distinction is due to the hard work of our great teachers, administrators and parents who encourage students to excel in various areas of academic interest," Davis School District Superintendent Reid Newey said in a prepared statement. "We are grateful for the preparation that our secondary students are getting for their futures."

Advanced Placement, a program administered by the College Board, awards college credit to students who complete rigorous coursework and earn a score of 3 or higher on an AP exam, which has a max score of 5.

The courses are commonly offered at large high schools in urban areas, like Davis County, but can be challenging for students to access in less populated, rural communities.

"I've been with Duchesne for 10 years," said Scott Forsyth, Duchesne County School District's student services director. "When I came to the district as a teacher, we had no AP programs."

Duchesne County School District has been included on the honor roll for three consecutive years, and Forsyth said AP courses are offered at all four of the district's high schools.

He said the district was able to build its AP and Concurrent Enrollment programs by partnering with the Utah State University Extension in Duchesne and the Uintah Basin Applied Technology College in Roosevelt.

"We rely heavily on sending our kids over to those higher-education buildings throughout the day," he said. "That has been instrumental in allowing us to develop the AP programs here."

Davis School District is the second largest in the state, with more than 69,500 students, according to Utah Board of Education data. Duchesne County School District enrolls just under 5,000 students.

Last year, Utah earned five spots on the AP Honor Roll, with Alpine School District, Canyons School District and Ogden City School District making the cut along with Davis and Duchesne.

bwood@sltrib.com

Twitter: @bjaminwood