Lake County Gazette

Coal City High School reported a significant increase in Advanced Placement (AP) exam participation and achievement for the 2024–2025 academic year. According to school officials, 216 students enrolled in AP courses took at least one AP exam, with a total of 372 exams completed. This represents a 61.74% rise compared to the previous year and marks the highest number of AP exams taken in the school's history.

Students enrolled in AP courses have the opportunity to earn college credit by scoring 3 or higher on their exams. This not only demonstrates college readiness but can also reduce future college costs and allow students to take more advanced courses earlier in their college careers.

Of the 372 AP exams administered, 276 received scores of 3 or higher, resulting in a pass rate of 74.91%, another record for Coal City High School. Assistant Principal Corey Mikula noted that 35 exams earned a perfect score of 5, surpassing last year's record of 24. Twenty-three students achieved these top marks, with student Jacob Cimino earning perfect scores across six subject areas.

“Once again, our students are performing at high levels, and we are extremely proud of their hard work,” said Jennifer Kenney, director of curriculum and instruction for the district.

At an opening day assembly, Coal City High School recognized students who qualified as AP Scholars. The school celebrated its largest group yet: 55 AP Scholars across three categories—AP Scholar, AP Scholar with Honor, and AP Scholar with Distinction.

“Thank you to all the teachers and students. You are always striving to become better and it shows,” Mikula said during the assembly. He added, “keep up the amazing work.”

The highest recognition is AP Scholar with Distinction, given to students averaging at least a score of 3.5 on all exams taken and earning scores of 3 or higher on five or more exams. The average score among these recipients was 3.91. Students from both the class of 2026 and class of 2025 were named as honorees by The College Board.

AP Scholar with Honor is awarded for an average score of at least 3.25 on all exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on four or more tests; these recipients averaged a score of 3.45.

Twenty-five Coal City students earned recognition as AP Scholars by scoring at least a three on three or more exams; their average test score was reported as 3.1.

During the past year, Coal City offered various AP courses including World History, US History, US Government, Spanish Language and Culture, Calculus, multiple Art disciplines (2-D Art, Drawing Portfolio), Statistics, Chemistry, Human Geography, English Literature and Language, Computer Science (with additional offerings added this year). Further expansion is being considered for future academic years.

Mikula also recognized thirteen current students who achieved at least one perfect score on an AP exam this year.

Coal City Community Unit School District 1 encompasses schools such as Coal City High School along with other educational institutions serving Grundy and Will counties (source). According to state education data (source), there are no teachers within the district exceeding ten absences per year; most educators are women (77.9%), while men make up just over one-fifth (22.1%). The average teacher salary is $69,297 before pension contributions (source).

Demographic data shows that Coal City Community Unit School District 1 is predominantly White (86.9%), with Hispanic (9.6%), Black (0.6%), and Asian (0.6%) populations represented (source). In terms of financial investment per pupil for fiscal year 2020-21—the latest available reporting—the district spent $21,619 per student (source).