HRA celebrates an outstanding, ongoing tradition of academic achievement
Hampton Roads Academy is proud to have earned Platinum recognition on the College Board’s third annual AP School Honor Roll.
Launched in 2023, the AP School Honor Roll celebrates a school’s deep involvement and success in the Advanced Placement (AP) program. HRA has been acknowledged with a Platinum distinction on this prestigious list every year so far.
The latest yearly honor recognizes the academic excellence of the Class of 2025, which collectively far surpassed the College Board’s highest threshold of achievement across three metrics:
- College culture: 94% of students took at least one AP class before graduating.
- College credit: 90% qualified for college credit by earning a score of at least 3 on an AP Exam.
- College optimization: 52% completed a total of at least five AP courses across their Upper School years, with at least one taken in Grade 9 or 10.
According to Assistant Head of School and Director of Upper School Ben Rous, HRA’s Platinum status on the AP School Honor Roll reflects the Academy’s exemplary academic programs among independent schools on the Peninsula as well as area public schools. At large public schools in particular, a significantly lower percentage of the student body will typically take AP classes than at HRA, where more than nine in ten Upper Schoolers complete at least one of these challenging courses. Furthermore, many public school students enrolled in AP classes do not sit for AP Exams, whereas every AP student at HRA does so.
“Our AP program is muscular,” Rous said. “We have a very inclusive philosophy about AP and who gets to take it. The fact that we take nearly all of our students and turn 90% of them into passing test-takers says a lot for the design of our classes and the quality of our teachers.”
Still, Rous stressed, the true measure of academic enrichment and college preparation at HRA transcends exam results.
“We have a very talented faculty that doesn’t just teach to the test,” he said. Though exceptional instruction certainly translates into high performance on assessments, it is the work HRA’s teachers do every day—challenging students to think critically, express themselves clearly in speech and writing, and embrace exposure to diverse disciplines—that truly equips students to excel in all their pursuits after graduation.
With such a strong academic foundation in the classroom and an already-impressive record of accomplishments, the Class of 2026 is well on track to carry on HRA’s outstanding tradition of success in the AP program and beyond.
