Figure

I-12b: Advanced Placement Exams Taken per 100 Students, by Academic Field, 1996–2020

Data Source and Other Information

Source: College Board, AP Program Participation and Performance Data 2020, “Program Summary Report,” https://research.collegeboard.org/programs/ap/data/participation/ap-2020 (accessed fall 2021); and National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 2020, “Table 105.30. Enrollment in elementary, secondary, and degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by level and control of institution: Selected years, 1869–70 through fall 2029,” https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d20/tables/dt20_105.30.asp (accessed fall 2021). Data analyzed and presented by the Humanities Indicators (www.humanitiesindicators.org).

Related Indicators

For information regarding the share of AP exams in the humanities and other academic fields receiving high scores, see “Student Performance on Advanced Placement Exams in the Humanities.”

See indicators about assessments of humanities knowledge at the high school level, including those under “Trends in Basic Reading Skills among School-Age Children,” “Writing Proficiency,” “Knowledge of U.S. History,” and “Knowledge of Civics.”

For more on precollegiate course-taking in the humanities, see “Credits Earned by Graduating High School Seniors” and “Language Instruction in Elementary and Secondary Schools.”

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The Humanities Indicators and Departmental Survey have been made possible in part by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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