By Tiffany Williams –
WORCESTER, Mass. — Two Worcester high schools earned national recognition for their Advanced Placement performance in 2025.
Doherty Memorial High School and University Park Campus School were named to the 2025 Advanced Placement® School Honor Roll, earning Bronze recognition from the College Board for expanding access to college-level coursework and supporting student success.
The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools whose AP programs deliver strong results while broadening participation. Schools earn recognition by meeting benchmarks across three measures of college readiness: College Culture (participation), College Credit (performance), and College Optimization (early pathway engagement). Within the overall Bronze designation, both schools achieved higher-level distinctions on individual benchmarks.
At Doherty Memorial High School, 49% of seniors took at least one AP exam, earning Bronze distinction in College Culture. The school also earned Bronze in College Credit, with 29% of seniors earning a qualifying score of 3 or higher on at least one AP exam. Doherty reached the Platinum distinction, the highest possible level for College Optimization, with 16% of seniors completing five or more AP exams, including at least one in ninth or tenth grade.
University Park Campus School demonstrated strong participation and performance, earning Gold distinction in both College Culture and College Credit. At UPCS, 73% of seniors took at least one AP exam, and 39% of the graduating class earned a score of 3 or higher on at least one exam. The school also met the Bronze benchmark for College Optimization.
Superintendent Brian E. Allen pointed to the broader district impact of the recognition.
“While we celebrate the AP School Honor Roll recognition earned by Doherty Memorial High School and University Park Campus School, we are also encouraged by the progress taking place across Worcester Public Schools,” Allen said. “The achievements of Burncoat, Claremont, North, South, and Worcester Technical high schools reflect a districtwide commitment to expanding access to Advanced Placement coursework and building college readiness for all students.”
Several additional Worcester Public Schools met one or more AP School Honor Roll benchmarks. Burncoat High School met benchmarks in College Culture at 49% and College Optimization at 10%. Worcester Technical High School reached 44% in College Culture and 4% in College Optimization. Claremont Academy met the College Culture benchmark at 71%. North High School met the College Optimization benchmark at 6%, and South High Community School reached 15% in College Optimization.
Worcester Public Schools serves nearly 25,000 pre-K through grade 12 students across nearly 50 schools and programs in New England’s second-largest city. The district reports that students speak over 70 languages and that it remains focused on expanding access to Advanced Placement coursework while preparing students for college and career success.