The Gender Gap in Participation in High School AP, IB, and Dual Enrollment Programs

A new report from the U.S. Department of Education shows racial differences in students that take Advanced Placement (AP) classes, international baccalaureate (IB) courses or participate in dual enrollment courses with colleges. AP and IB courses are high school classes. Students can earn both high and college credit in dual enrollment classes. These courses are generally regarded as academically rigorous or high school students and the number of students participating has skyrocketed in recent years.

The data show that 46.4 percent of high school girls took either an AP course or an IB course. For high school boys, only 37.8 percent enrolled in these courses. Twelve percent of high school girls participated in dual enrollment programs compared to 9.7 percent of high school boys.

When the gender statistics are broken down by race, girls in all racial and ethnic groups were more likely than boys to earn credits in these courses  The largest gender gap was among African Americans. Just under 40 percent of African American girls took AP, IB or dual enrollment courses compared to just 26.9 percent of Black male high school students. The smallest gender gap among racial or ethnic groups was among Asian Americans.

The full report, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Dual-Enrollment Courses: Availability, Participation, and Related Outcomes for 2009 Ninth-Graders: 2013, may be downloaded by clicking here.