Photo: Photo by Ben Mullins

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City High School students outperformed state and global averages on Advanced Placement (AP) exams last spring, with nearly nine out of 10 scoring high enough to earn college credit.

According to results from May 2025, 87% of students earned a score of 3 or higher on at least one AP exam. In total, 792 students passed, representing just over half of the district’s high school enrollment. More than 71% of the Class of 2025 graduated with at least one passing AP score.

“This is a story we need to tell loudly and publicly,” Superintendent Lyndsay Huntsman said during her monthly report to the school board, calling the results a reflection of teacher dedication and student effort.

Course Highlights

AP U.S. History posted a 96% pass rate with an average score of 4.14, compared to 81% statewide and 74% globally.
AP Human Geography, taken by ninth graders, had a 90% pass rate, topping Utah’s 71% and the global 65%.
AP World History students also achieved a 90% pass rate, outperforming state (71%) and global (64%) averages.
AP Macroeconomics saw one of the largest gains, climbing from a 62% pass rate the previous year to 85%, compared to 71% in Utah and 67% globally.
AP Microeconomics recorded an 88% pass rate, again well above state (74%) and global (68%) levels.

Growth Despite Expanded Participation

Huntsman noted that more students are enrolling in AP courses than in previous years. Typically, broader participation lowers pass rates, but Park City’s scores improved.

Teachers across the social studies and economics departments were credited for their role in the gains. Retired high school principal Roger Arbabi, who had set an internal goal of reaching an 80% pass rate, saw his former students surpass that benchmark.

Board members and district staff described the results as “phenomenal” and “unheard of for a public school,” pointing to them as evidence of Park City’s academic strength.

“This is our core job — teaching,” said board member Susan Goldberg. “The community needs to hear this loud and clear when we have performance like this.”