The 2025 State of Advanced Course Access
The gap between student ambition and educational opportunity isn't about motivation—it's about systems that weren't designed for equity.
This research-backed series exposes the access mismatch in advanced coursework and delivers the practical blueprint educational leaders need to transform aspiration into achievement.
Book 1
The Access Mismatch
A nation of aspiring students and a major “catch 22”
While most high school students aspire to attend college, many capable students aren't getting access to advanced coursework like AP, IB, and Dual Enrollment that builds college readiness.
This ebook uses insights from nearly 275,000 students to help educational leaders identify hidden gaps and implement proven strategies to ensure all students have opportunities for high-level learning that opens doors to college and career success.
Walk away with:
- Data-driven insights from 275,000 students revealing the 51-point gap between college aspirations (89%) and advanced course enrollment (38%).
- Evidence of systemic barriers including lack of adult encouragement, information gaps, and belonging challenges that block capable students from accessing rigorous coursework.
- Clear understanding of participation disparities by race and income, with actionable frameworks for identifying underrepresented students ready for advanced courses.
- Research-backed benefits of advanced coursework including financial savings (over $2,500 per AP exam), improved college readiness, and enhanced confidence.
- Strategic foundation for building equity-centered advanced course access policies and practices in your district.
Book 2
A Blueprint for Expanding Access
Turning insight into action
This second ebook shifts from identifying the advanced course access problem to providing actionable solutions, offering district leaders, educators, and policymakers proven strategies to close access gaps and align student ambitions with opportunities.
The research-backed practices featured aren't abstract—they're being actively tested and implemented by districts working to ensure more students have access to AP, IB, Dual Enrollment, and Cambridge AICE courses that open doors to college and career success.
Walk away with:
- Proven system design strategies including opt-out enrollment models, broadened placement criteria, and culturally responsive messaging that have increased participation by 40-75% in partner districts.
- Practical tools for transforming educators from gatekeepers to gate-openers through professional development, placement protocols, and student voice data integration.
- Evidence-based approaches for building student belonging and confidence, including peer mentoring programs and advisory supports that boost persistence rates.
- Policy, practice, and partnership frameworks that create sustainable change, from eliminating prerequisites to developing ecosystem collaborations.
- Implementation roadmap for middle school interventions and early support systems that cultivate readiness rather than assume it.