Darlington School has earned the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science Principles. Schools honored with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have expanded girls’ access in AP computer science courses.
More than 1,100 institutions achieved either 50% or higher female representation in one of the two AP computer science courses or a percentage of the female computer science exam takers meeting or exceeding that of the school’s female population during the 2022-23 school year. In 2023, Darlington School was one of 834 recognized in the category of AP Computer Science Principles (CSP).
"At Darlington, faculty work hard to provide opportunities for all of our many learners to discover new strengths and interests," said Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs Stefan Eady. "Recognition such as the College Board's Female Diversity Award is one more affirmation that we have created a safe environment for students to push themselves, in this case into STEM fields that very much need more female contributions. I'm always excited to have former students share their STEM career pathways after discovering their interests at Darlington in robotics, computer science, engineering, or our many science and math classes and clubs."
According to the data, female students who take AP CSP in high school are more than five times as likely to major in computer science in college, compared to female students of similar background and academic preparation who did not take CSP. The study also finds AP CSP students are nearly twice as likely to enroll in AP CSA, and that for most students, AP CSP serves as a stepping stone to other advanced AP STEM coursework.
These findings highlight the importance of schools nationwide achieving gender parity in AP computer science classrooms. Overall, female students remain underrepresented in our high school computer science classes, accounting for just 34% of AP Computer Science Principles participants and 26% of AP Computer Science A participants. Currently, 57.5% of the nation’s high schools teach foundational computer science. The 1,127 schools that receive this year’s AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award serve as inspirations and models for all U.S. high schools.
