The school should do a better job at advertising the benefits and long-term advantages of taking college-level courses. Although there are students aware of these classes, the school does not put enough emphasis on promoting these college courses — Advanced Placement (AP), dual and concurrent enrollment — to the general student population. In reality, many students often have to rely on their peers for information about these courses.
AP courses can offer college credit if a student passes their respective AP exam with a score of 3 or above, according to The College Board’s article “AP at a Glance.” College credit can allow students to avoid paying for extra years of tuition, The College Board elaborates. Similar to the advantages of AP courses, dual and concurrent enrollment lets you earn college credit while still in high school.
Roughly thirty-five percent of students are in AP courses, while fourty-four percent of students are considered socioeconomically disadvantaged, according to a 2024-2025 Milpitas High School School Accountability Report Card. There are fewer students in AP courses than there are socioeconomically hindered students, which means many are losing out on money-saving opportunities. With college credit, these disadvantaged students would have a better chance of affording their college tuition.
In addition, AP courses offer a grade boost to students’ weighted grade-point average (GPA), while high exam scores can prove a student’s capabilities. Dual Enrollment classes also offer a boost to students’ weighted GPAs, while concurrent classes will only offer a boost for the class of 2028 and the preceding classes, according to the MHS 2026-2027 Course Catalog. These factors can greatly improve a student’s chances of getting into a more prestigious college.
Every autumn, a counselor may send out an email detailing the registration process for dual enrollment classes, but the benefits of these classes are never outlined in plain view. Students are just expected to know what they are receiving from taking these classes.
As for AP classes, one can argue that it should be the duty of The College Board to promote the perks of these classes. Instead, the College Board should learn to cooperate with high schools to publicize the long-term payoff of taking AP classes and passing their exams.
The school should take the initiative to encourage students to take college-level courses, as they can be crucial to a student’s future. Whether it is alleviating expenditures or improving students’ transcripts, these are the benefits of college-level courses that some students are unaware of, and it should be the school’s job to enlighten them.
