This is the ultimate guide to LHS AP classes, written by two qualified sophomores (PhD, MD) with minimal experience. Look no further for your one-stop ranking of the top AP classes to take before graduating. Taken into account, the AP test pass rate (in 2024), the number of colleges accepting the test (as of 2023), as well as the ranked difficulty of the class (as of 2024), almost exclusively provided by senior editors. Be sure to take the final criteria with a grain of salt due to our minimal qualifications.
Each of the AP’s have been categorized by subject with a final category reserved for the honorable mentions. Remember, each of these AP’s have been ranked by the best professional class critics, with the help of senior editors. Not all of the AP’s were considered in the ranking; each category had three AP’s that the rankings were based off of.
Starting with the first category:English. The best English AP to take is AP Literature and Composition. According to data provided by CollegeBoard, the administrator of the AP tests, Lit/Comp has a 54% pass rate (scores 3+), is accepted by 2054 colleges, and has an overall class difficulty of 3. Compared to second place, AP Language and Composition, AP Lang/Comp has the same pass rate of 54%. Although 50 more colleges accept Lang/Comp than Lit/Comp, Lang/Comp was ranked to be harder than Lit/Comp as a class. The final class that was ranked was AP Seminar. Although the pass rate for the AP exam was 89%, it is only accepted by 689 colleges. Due to its high pass rate, the class difficulty was given the lower score of 1 out of 5.
Following English, the next category is History/Social Sciences.The overall best History/Social Science class to take is AP Government. AP Gov has a pass rate of 73%, is accepted by 2047 colleges, and has a class ranked difficulty of 1. Overall, AP Gov is an easy class to take while also being accepted by many colleges. The runners up include the classes AP U.S. History as well as AP Macroeconomics. AP U.S. History does have the highest class difficulty ranking of 5 out of 5, but with a 72% pass rate on the AP exam and acceptance by 2087 colleges, it gains its spot in the top 3 AP History classes. AP Macroeconomics has a class difficulty of 3 out of 5, with a passing rate of 62%, and is also accepted by 2000+ colleges.
Moving on to Math, the one we rated at the top is AP Calculus BC. Calc BC has a whopping 80% pass rate, with 48% of those being 5’s. 2085 colleges across the country accept this, and it’s a good class to take for people on the advanced math track. Shoutout to Calc AB as well, for being just as useful, but simply covering less content. In second, we have AP Statistics, which is accepted by 2034 colleges, has a 62% pass rate, and is ranked 3 out of 5 in difficulty. Finally, we have AP Computer Science A. Not your traditional math class, but very useful in the world nowadays. Computer Science A has a 66% pass rate, and is accepted by 1868 colleges. Overall, the class has a difficulty of 4 out of 5, but if you’re interested in computers, it’s a must-take course at LHS.
Up next is the subject of World Languages/Culture. Coming in to tie for first place, AP Spanish Language with class difficulty of 4, AP exam pass rate of 83%, and a 2000+ college acceptance. Tied with AP Spanish we have AP French Language with the same class difficulty of 4, a slightly lower pass rate of 71%, and acceptance from 1900+ colleges. The third ranked language class we have is AP Latin with a lower class difficulty of 3 out of 5, but a lower AP exam pass rate of 57% as well, and acceptance by 1521 colleges.
Last but not least, the Art AP’s. In first place, we have AP Drawing. With a pass rate of 84%, AP Drawing is a good class to take for people who love art, and is accepted by 1707 colleges, with a difficulty of 2 out of 5. In second, we have AP Portfolio. AP Portfolio at LHS is actually AP 2-D and 3-D art combined, with students creating a portfolio in one of those two “tests.” 2-D Art has an 83% pass rate, and 3-D art has a 72% pass rate, and an average of 1642 colleges accept credit. With an overall difficulty of 3, this is a great class for upperclassmen to take. Finally, we have AP Music Theory. With a difficulty rating of 4 out of 5, a pass rate of 61%, and being accepted by 1739 colleges, AP Music Theory is a tough, but good class to take for people pursuing music in college.
Now for the bonus category, Honorable mentions! After looking through the list, we realized that we forgot to inject our own biases into this list! So, with this final category, we have ranked these two classes based solely on our opinion! Both of these classes are in the subject of History/Social sciences. Akshay:
“My personal favorite AP class so far is AP Psychology. Ever wanted to know why your brain does the things it does? Ever been interested in the anatomy of the brain? Didn’t take a social studies freshman year and need one to graduate? Well, look no further than AP Psych. Taught by three amazing teachers, AP Psych is a good class to know why your brain works the way it does, and is such a fun class. While freshmen can’t take it, sophomores and upperclassmen should absolutely take it. With a pass rate of 61% and being accepted by 2080 colleges, AP Psych is a must take class at LHS.”
Jordan:
“The best AP class that all students should take is AP Human Geography. Contrary to common belief, AP HuG is not a college-level course on how to hug properly, but is instead an interesting, and easy class that explores the influences of Geography on human behaviors. With a ranked difficulty of 1 out of 5, AP Hug is a great intro-level AP course to take as a freshman, and was a great way for me as a freshman to get a taste of AP-level classes. Gliding past the 56% AP exam pass rate, AP Hug is accepted by over 2000 colleges. Although some may think that AP HuG is exclusively for freshmen, AP HuG is a great class to take regardless of being a lower or upperclassman. Therefore, AP HuG is the best History/Social science class to take.”
So here we are, at the very end of this amazing, very professional ranking of AP classes. Now that you’ve had a sampling of the courses, you can make informed decisions on which courses to take. Have fun, and make sure you remember to prioritize your mental health, and to not bite off more than you can chew!
