AP Academy has trouble drawing applicants

Only 27 students have been accepted so far for new school within Burke High

Low-achieving Burke High School is struggling to attract the county's brightest students for its new, rigorous program.

The downtown school will open an Advanced Placement Academy this fall, and fewer students have applied for the program than officials hoped. The AP Academy could enroll 100 students this fall, but thus far only 27 have been accepted among the 33 who have applied.

Applications were due April 1, but that deadline came and went and the program is continuing to accept applicants.

"We knew the first year would not be real easy," said school Principal Charles Benton. "We've been fortunate enough to get that first class. We've had some obstacles, but we're still excited about what we're planning to do."

The academy will be a school within Burke High, which means academy students will take their core academic classes together but mingle with the rest of the student body for their electives. Students will take honors classes their freshmen year and at least four Advanced Placement courses before they graduate. Students can earn college credit by scoring well on AP exams.

The hope is the AP Academy will help Burke by encouraging teachers to earn AP certification and challenging students to take more AP courses. The school board has budgeted $250,000 for the new program next year. Benton said it's too early to say where the money would be spent and there's a possibility the program will require the hiring of more teachers.

Twenty-seven students is enough to start the academy, but Benton said he'd prefer to have at least 40 students. The lack of applicants might be because families want to see how the first year goes before giving it a chance, while others could be reluctant to apply because of the school's reputation, he said.

Burke High's recent history has been one of a near state-takeover, a botched move of former Rivers Middle School students to the high school campus and test scores among the weakest in the district. Some community residents have been critical of the new program, and Benton said the school has to build trust with the community.

"There's no hidden agenda," he said. "My only agenda is to improve Burke High School academically."

Another factor in the low numbers could be that the AP Academy started soliciting applications about three months later than most of the county's magnet programs, Benton said. They've talked to students, parents or guidance counselors at every middle school, he said.

But some, such as downtown resident and constituent board member Chris Ellis, hadn't heard of the program. He said he'd like to talk about it but couldn't because no school official had told him anything about it.

Downtown resident and constituent school board Chairwoman Pam Kusmider questioned how much the AP Academy had been publicized and whether sufficient recruitment efforts were made. She supports Burke trying to start the program but said she was "desperately concerned that we're not meeting the needs of the current students in District 20 (downtown)."

Downtown resident and constituent board Vice Chairman Marvin Stewart agreed, saying he'd rather the school focus on teaching students who attend Burke High rather than trying a gimmick to improve the school's image. Many students lag their peers academically and couldn't qualify to take AP classes, he said.

County school board Chairman Hillery Douglas acknowledged the new program has many skeptics, but he thinks it will be successful and will attract students to Burke. The school needs time to get the word out, enroll students and make the program work, he said.

If the program doesn't enroll 100 students, Douglas said the board could look at lessening the amount of money it receives. He would expect the reduction to be proportional to its enrollment, he said.

The six students denied admittance didn't meet the school's criteria, officials said. Students must have a B average or better, teacher recommendations, writing samples and interviews. Officials said they wouldn't sacrifice the program's quality to enroll more students.

"We really want this to be a top-notch program," Benton said.

Students in the AP Academy will have mentors, and teachers will know each student's learning style because they will stay with them year after year, said Juanita Middleton, the program's director. Students will attend a week-long orientation session this summer.

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546 or dcourrege@postandcourier.com.