MCPS not paying for APs this year?

[Anonymous]

My senior heard a rumor at school that MCPS won't be paying for AP/IB exams this year? She said before, they would always know before school begins but this year they don't. She said they'll find out at the end of the month.

Has anyone heard anything?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My senior heard a rumor at school that MCPS won't be paying for AP/IB exams this year? She said before, they would always know before school begins but this year they don't. She said they'll find out at the end of the month.

Has anyone heard anything?

I'm not sure when they announce the decision, but it's ridiculous that the College Board encourages school systems to pay for tests while College Board earns over a billions dollars in revenue each year.

Either way, the students will probably hear close to registration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My senior heard a rumor at school that MCPS won't be paying for AP/IB exams this year? She said before, they would always know before school begins but this year they don't. She said they'll find out at the end of the month.

Has anyone heard anything?

My child at Richard Montgomery heard this too. Maybe connected to Trump cuts to department of education?

[Anonymous]

It would not surprise me as mcps keeps increasing spending and has to make cuts elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

My kids are only a few years out and we always had to pay for the tests. I think there were just waivers for kids who qualified.

[Anonymous]

This was discussed at a recent BOE meeting. The MD Blueprint currently requires the exam fees to be covered for all test-takers. MCPS is hoping to have the rules changed so that it becomes a needs-based system.

"Currently, no adjustments have been made to the Blueprint requirement that school systems
cover the costs of AP and IB courses, including end-of-year exams. There is no limit on the
number of exams a College and Career Ready student may take, and no eligibility requirements
for families to receive exam fee coverage. In 2025, the AP exam fee was $90 per exam, the AP
Capstone exam was $138 per exam, and the IB exam was $124 per exam. In FY25
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) spent more than $4.2 million on AP and IB exams.
Looking just at AP courses, of the 48,252 exams for which MCPS paid the associated fee in
FY25, only 9,201 of those exams were taken by students who are eligible for free and reduced-
price meals assistance. This accounts for approximately 19% of the exams purchased. The
amount MCPS spends on AP/IB exams increases year after year. Currently, MCPS estimates
that it will spend $5.5 million, or more, on these exams in FY26.
In light of the critical need for equitable access and the documented financial disparities across
Montgomery County, the Montgomery County Board of Education is interested in
exploring ways to curtail costs associated with AP/IB exams by utilizing a needs-based
system that will allow our families with the greatest need access to these programs for
free, while other families would pay a portion or all of the costs depending on income."

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DKXHQV49A7CE/$file/Legislative%20Platform%202026_adopted%208.21.25.pdf

[Anonymous]

Their advocacy position is to no longer pay for them but I don’t think it has been formally changed yet. Might be in this next budget but they need permission from the state because of Blueprint.

[Anonymous]

we were told they are paying for them this year so our AP at Wootton encouraged everyone to sign up before the due date to ensur ethey were covered

[Anonymous]

Currently they are still paying for them but they are advocating to have it be a needs based system. Personally I think it should be more of a criteria based system dependent on how students are doing at a certain point in the class and teacher sign off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Their advocacy position is to no longer pay for them but I don’t think it has been formally changed yet. Might be in this next budget but they need permission from the state because of Blueprint.

Right. So it's covered this year.

[Anonymous]

If they don't pay - it can't be a requirement that students take the test - there won't be the expectation that all students take the test - students with poor class performance may not be encouraged to take the test - the school AP results will skew better without the lower performers.

There is no perfect scenario. Maybe more AP tests are taken if paid by MCPS/any school system. Maybe students of differing academic levels are encouraged to try APs. But the scores are lower. A 3 on the AP exam should equal a HS C for that class, or else grade inflation is assumed.

[Anonymous]

When did they START paying for the test. ,Was that an extra covid funding thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When did they START paying for the test. ,Was that an extra covid funding thing?

2023 was the first year they paid for the tests for all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did they START paying for the test. ,Was that an extra covid funding thing?

2023 was the first year they paid for the tests for all.

Quick change in policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did they START paying for the test. ,Was that an extra covid funding thing?

2023 was the first year they paid for the tests for all.

Quick change in policy.

That was when the law went into effect.