Two Southold Town schools landed on the College Board’s 2025 Advanced Placement School Honor Roll — with Mattituck earning gold and Greenport gaining bronze. 

Just 42% of 1,172 qualifying schools across New York earned a spot on the list, according to the College Board.

The program has recognized 5,723 schools across the United States and Canada since its launch in 2023. It highlights schools that expand access to AP and help build a college-going culture by offering opportunities for students to earn college credit while still in high school.

Mattituck High School

Mattituck-Cutchogue School District director of school curriculum and innovation Ilana Finnegan said that despite declining enrollment, the district continues to offer students a variety of classes to pursue with its 16 AP courses. During the 2024-25 school year, 150 Mattituck High School students took at least one AP class. The school also earned gold recognition in 2024.

“We really want our students to be able to have opportunity,” Ms. Finnegan said, noting that all AP courses at Mattituck High School are open enrollment. She said the honor reflects the district’s broader effort to give students a wide range of academic opportunities.

Principal Patrick Burke, a former AP world history teacher, noted that AP classes can help challenge students and improve their study habits. 

“We really are trying to be sure that they are creative in their learning, collaborating in their learning, and most importantly critical thinking on their own,” Mr. Burke said. 

Mattituck High seniors Cindy Melgar, Matthew Haas, Michael Buckley and Zoe King, who have taken a combined 45 AP classes, said the courses have helped them improve their studying and critical thinking skills.

“It forces you, even if you don’t want to do it, you have to study hard and it really prepares you for what you’re gonna see in college I feel,” Michael told The Suffolk Times.

Greenport High School

Greenport High School, which offers 11 AP courses, had 60 students take at least one AP class during the 2024-25 school year. Their hard work and the school’s variety of coursework options contributed to its first appearance on the AP School Honor Roll.

The district eliminated qualifying requirements for AP classes about 10 years ago, Principal Gary Kalish said.

“We increased the number of offerings and it’s really resulted in us having a very prideful number of students enrolled and taking exams,” he said.

Seniors Luke Kohl and Faith Welch have taken a combined 21 AP classes. They plan to study civil engineering and political science, respectively, in college.

“A lot of our basic classes, they prepare us with a lot of the information that we need,” Faith said. “But the AP classes have given us a lot of strategic ways to deal with reading comprehension questions and theory questions more than just the basic knowledge of the topic.”

Luke said the coursework has helped him improve his time management and study skills.

Superintendent Beth Doyle said she was proud of students in the high school for challenging themselves with AP classes through the open enrollment program. She noted that students can earn college credit if they score a three or higher on their AP exams, potentially lowering the cost of college.

“I think it sets a culture of learning and sets high expectations for our students in Greenport when we are saying that you should have access to this and you are able to be successful in these classes,” Ms. Doyle said.

Shoreham-Wading River High School

Shoreham-Wading River High School also appeared on the honor roll this year and received a silver distinction.

The school offered 20 AP courses in the 2024-25 school year, with 240 students taking at least one, according to district assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment Alan Meinster.

“Our students really have the ability to explore their areas of interest,” Mr. Meinster said. “The AP courses we offer are one of the ways in which our students can accomplish that.”

Shoreham-Wading River senior Ray Hidalka began taking AP courses in 10th grade and has completed 12 AP classes during his high school career. He said the coursework aligns with his plan to study biology on a premed track in college.

“I think I got better at my studying skills … and getting used to [the] pace of learning since AP [classes] go faster than regular classes,” Ray said. 

Assistant principal Jonathan Lilla noted that since Ray took AP calculus in 11th grade, earlier than students typically do, it allowed him to take classes he felt he could challenge himself with. 

“They get a chance to figure out if they can handle what they are interested in when they go to college,” Mr. Lilla said of students’ ability to forge their own path in courseload selections. 

Shoreham-Wading River earned gold recognition in 2024 but slipped to silver this year after missing the mark in the ‘college culture’ category by about 1%, Mr. Meinster said. The category measures the percentage of students who take at least one AP exam during high school.

He noted that many students who take AP courses in the district are dually enrolled for college credit and choose not to sit for the AP exam.

In the program’s other two measures — college credit and college optimization — Shoreham-Wading River received platinum-level recognition.

The post North Fork high schools named to 2025 AP Honor Roll appeared first on The Suffolk Times.

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