Advanced Placement

Taking an Advanced Placement (AP) class provides students an opportunity to experience a college level course with the potential to earn college credits. AP classes offer students rigorous, standardized instruction while requiring students to meet a higher level of responsibility.

AP courses can help you acquire the skills and habits you'll need to be successful in college. You'll improve your writing skills, sharpen your problem-solving abilities, and develop time management skills, discipline, and study habits. More than 90 percent of four-year colleges in the United States and colleges in more than 60 other countries give students credit on the basis of AP Exam scores. By entering college with AP credits, you'll have the time to move into upper level courses, pursue a double-major or study abroad.

AP students are responsible for the following:

• Recognize that AP requires a year-long commitment of students. No schedule changes will be approved after the start of the year.
• Students who enroll in an AP course are expected to complete this course of study.
• Students who enroll in an AP course will take the respective AP exam in May 2026 (exam schedule provided below).
• AP courses taken at Walton High School or through an approved online provider will be given credit, an AP designation and receive the extra 1.0 extra quality point added to the GPA ONLY if the AP exam is taken and the student takes both semesters of the course if it is a yearlong/1.0 credit course.
• Seek help when needed by consulting one's study peer/group, parent, or teacher and attend tutoring/curriculum review sessions when offered.

Registering for courses and exams

Within the first few weeks of class, students have been registering in AP Classroom to join each AP class for which they are enrolled. Students received a “Join Code” and instructions from each of their AP teachers. By enrolling in AP Classroom, students gain access to online resources for their AP course and are registered for the AP exam.

Note--students will begin this registration process by first signing in to their College Board account. This is the same login they may have used to access past AP scores and PSAT/NMSQT scores or to register for the SAT (NOTE: The College Board account MUST be in the student’s name—not a parent account.) Students should be prepared to access that account in class by knowing their College Board username and password. If students don’t have a College Board account or are unable to locate their old username and password, their teacher will instruct them in creating a new account.

Once a student has successfully “joined” that class, they are then registered for that AP exam and will have access to a wealth of useful tools, study resources, and formative feedback on progress (payment for exams is handled separately and is detailed below.)

To order an AP Exam, two things must happen

1. Exam Registration: The student enrolls in the course in AP Classroom

2. Exam Payment: All exam payments are made on My Payments Plus

Payment for AP Exams

DEADLINE: Exam payment for AP courses beginning in the fall is due by October 9th, 2026. Students planning to take one semester AP courses this spring (AP microeconomics, AP macroeconomics, AP Government, AP Comparative Government or AP Psychology) will have separate spring registration and payment deadlines in January. More information to follow.

FEES: In addition to a one-time $15 administration fee, the cost of each AP exam is $99. Payment will be collected on My Payments Plus beginning on September 1st.

IMPORTANT: College Board has a $40 fee PER EXAM for late registration, along with a $40 PER EXAM penalty for cancelled or unused exams.

EXAM FEE SUBSIDIES:

The state of Georgia will once again cover the exam fee for one AP STEM exam for any student enrolled in an AP STEM course. Note: this program does NOT cover the one-time $15 administrative fee or any subsequent late or cancelled penalty fees.

Families of students eligible for the Free & Reduced Lunch program should contact Ms. Page the AP Coordinator for information on state and College Board fee reduction eligibility. Note: these programs do NOT cover the one-time $15 administrative fee or any subsequent late or cancelled penalty fees.

PAYMENT OPTIONS: AP Exam payment can be made using the student’s My Payments Plus account online beginning on 9/1/26. Please be sure to choose the correct AP Exams when making the payment. See your student schedule for the correct course name. The student’s My Payments Plus account will reflect the total amount due for all AP exams they are registered for along with a one-time $15 registration fee for the year.

Important Dates

August 26th – All students enrolled in an AP course should be registered in AP classroom by this date.

September 1st – My Payments Plus opens for Exam payment

October 9th – Exam payment is due

November 1st – Order deadline for AP exams (Fall & Year-long courses only)

** There is a $40 late fee for any payments received or exams ordered after November 1st

Spring only AP courses will register in January 2027

AP Exams

Fully Digital Subjects

Students complete multiple-choice and free-response questions in Bluebook, with all responses automatically submitted at the end of the exam.

• • • AP African American Studies (U.S. schools only)
    • AP Art History
    • AP Comparative Government and Politics
    • AP Computer Science A
    • AP Computer Science Principles
    • AP English Language and Composition
    • AP English Literature and Composition
    • AP Environmental Science
    • AP European History
    • AP Human Geography
    • AP Latin
    • AP Psychology
    • AP Seminar
    • AP United States Government and Politics
    • AP United States History
    • AP World History: Modern

Hybrid Digital Subjects

Students complete multiple-choice questions and view free-response questions in Bluebook. They handwrite their free-response answers in paper exam booklets that are returned for scoring.

• • • AP Biology
    • AP Calculus AB
    • AP Calculus BC
    • AP Chemistry
    • AP Macroeconomics
    • AP Microeconomics
    • AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based
    • AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based
    • AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
    • AP Physics C: Mechanics
    • AP Precalculus
    • AP Statistics

Note: The AP Exam administration for exams with audio components and exams consisting solely of portfolio assessments is remaining unchanged for the May 2026 AP Exam administration:

• • • AP 2-D Art and Design
    • AP 3-D Art and Design
    • AP Drawing
    • AP Chinese Language and Culture
    • AP French Language and Culture
    • AP German Language and Culture
    • AP Italian Language and Culture
    • AP Japanese Language and Culture
    • AP Music Theory
    • AP Research
    • AP Spanish Language and Culture
    • AP Spanish Literature and Culture

* The deadline to submit the AP Art & Design portfolio is 11:59 pm on Friday May 7^th

* Late testing is available to those whose reason for missing the exam has been approved (illness/emergency).

For more information: If you are interested in reading more about the AP program see the parent resources at https://blog.collegeboard.org/parent-resource-understanding-ap

Please contact Walton’s AP Coordinator Christy Page at christina.page@cobbk12.org for any further questions. 

* AP, Advanced Placement Program, Pre-AP, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board. Used by permission.