by Sam Levenson, SSLI '27
Schechter’s high school has been given the prestigious title of an Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Roll School due to its students' extraordinary commitment to AP classes and high scores on end-of-course exams for AP classes.
Schechter is proud to receive the Gold-Tier AP Honor Roll Placement. (CollegeBoard Website)
This award is granted to schools who meet specific requirements for their graduating classes. The AP College Board website explains that, to be on the honor roll, at least 40% of graduates must have taken at least one AP exam, typically taken after studying the course. Additionally, 25% of the graduating class must have scored at least a 3 out of 5 on the exam, allowing it to be considered for college credits by a university’s admissions. Finally, two percent of the graduating class must have taken 5 or more AP exams throughout high school, with at least one having been taken as a freshman or sophomore.
Furthermore, Schechter has received the AP Access Award. According to the College Board, the AP Access Award honors "schools that demonstrate a clear and effective commitment to equitable access to advanced coursework."
New York has about 30 percent of its students passing at least one AP exam, setting it in position to tie for second place with New Jersey for highest rates of students taking college-course classes. By receiving this award, Schechter is ranked much higher than the national average of about 22%.
Although the honor is a prestigious recognition of a school’s academic excellence, Mark Kowalsky, one of Schechter’s guidance counselors, discussed that some additional factors need to be considered in the evaluation criteria. “The AP Honor Roll should take into consideration other factors. For example, the quality of education: Our teachers are excellent. Rigor of curriculum: We have a dual curriculum, meaning our students take nearly double the number of courses compared to public school students. They should take into consideration the character of the students: Our students perform a lot of community service, engage in repairing the world, and help others.”
Schechter’s high school is ranked as a gold-tier institution, the second highest of the four tiers. This means that its graduating class of 2024 has a high rate of students who took AP courses and did well on them, demonstrating a culture of college courses and receiving credit from them.
Ms. Hiltzik, Schechter’s interim head of school, emphasized that being on the AP Honor Roll “shows that we are strong.” Hiltzik continued, “Even though we have smaller numbers, we are mighty in what we know and how we prepare our students. In other schools, you may have a graduating class of 100 students, whereas we are in the two- or three-digit range, yet we are still earning a gold distinction. This speaks volumes about our faculty, our students, and our academic strength.”
As a school that offers countless AP classes, Schechter’s guidance counselors ensure that their students are properly prepared to apply to colleges and universities that are fit for them. Kowalsky explained, “For students who are recommended for AP courses, we have a lot of discussions with them to ensure they are taking courses they can succeed in while balancing their workload.”
Students taking AP classes at Schechter recognize the difficulty of these courses. Senior Noah Schor said, “In my sophomore and junior years, the work ethic was really strong. In order to succeed in those classes, we had to try harder and study more.” Schor detailed the key benefit of taking AP classes with other students who want to challenge themselves: the collaboration and collective effort of pushing through difficult tasks together. He explained that he and his classmates helped each other understand material, worked together on projects, and supported one another. Schor said, “Taking a hard class together fosters more communication and more collective effort between students.”
With regard to Schechter’s placement on the AP Honor Roll, Kowalsky added, “It shows that our student body is incredibly smart, driven, and embraces challenges rather than turning away from them. Students recommended for honors classes do not take the easy route by choosing a regular class—they push themselves. That’s what makes Schechter so special.”
New York has about 30 percent of its students passing at least one AP exam, setting it in position to tie for second place with New Jersey for highest rates of students taking college-course classes. By receiving this award, Schechter is ranked much higher than the national average of about 22%.
Although the honor is a prestigious recognition of a school’s academic excellence, Mark Kowalsky, one of Schechter’s guidance counselors, discussed that some additional factors need to be considered in the evaluation criteria. “The AP Honor Roll should take into consideration other factors. For example, the quality of education: Our teachers are excellent. Rigor of curriculum: We have a dual curriculum, meaning our students take nearly double the number of courses compared to public school students. They should take into consideration the character of the students: Our students perform a lot of community service, engage in repairing the world, and help others.”
Schechter’s high school is ranked as a gold-tier institution, the second highest of the four tiers. This means that its graduating class of 2024 has a high rate of students who took AP courses and did well on them, demonstrating a culture of college courses and receiving credit from them.
Ms. Hiltzik, Schechter’s interim head of school, emphasized that being on the AP Honor Roll “shows that we are strong.” Hiltzik continued, “Even though we have smaller numbers, we are mighty in what we know and how we prepare our students. In other schools, you may have a graduating class of 100 students, whereas we are in the two- or three-digit range, yet we are still earning a gold distinction. This speaks volumes about our faculty, our students, and our academic strength.”
As a school that offers countless AP classes, Schechter’s guidance counselors ensure that their students are properly prepared to apply to colleges and universities that are fit for them. Kowalsky explained, “For students who are recommended for AP courses, we have a lot of discussions with them to ensure they are taking courses they can succeed in while balancing their workload.”
Students taking AP classes at Schechter recognize the difficulty of these courses. Senior Noah Schor said, “In my sophomore and junior years, the work ethic was really strong. In order to succeed in those classes, we had to try harder and study more.” Schor detailed the key benefit of taking AP classes with other students who want to challenge themselves: the collaboration and collective effort of pushing through difficult tasks together. He explained that he and his classmates helped each other understand material, worked together on projects, and supported one another. Schor said, “Taking a hard class together fosters more communication and more collective effort between students.”
With regard to Schechter’s placement on the AP Honor Roll, Kowalsky added, “It shows that our student body is incredibly smart, driven, and embraces challenges rather than turning away from them. Students recommended for honors classes do not take the easy route by choosing a regular class—they push themselves. That’s what makes Schechter so special.”
Schor added, “The culture at Schechter isn’t necessarily one of competitiveness; it’s of academic rigor. Everyone isn’t trying to be the best -- Schechter students are wired to challenge themselves to the best of their ability.”
The announcement of the 2024 AP Honor Roll caught headlines in Newsday and other popular media outlets. On the subject of Schechter’s recognition in a list of prestigious New York schools, Ms. Hiltzik said, “It's beautiful. It's great to open a newspaper and, despite how small we are, see our name there. All of a sudden, we are on the map, and we must continue to stay on the map.”
The announcement of the 2024 AP Honor Roll caught headlines in Newsday and other popular media outlets. On the subject of Schechter’s recognition in a list of prestigious New York schools, Ms. Hiltzik said, “It's beautiful. It's great to open a newspaper and, despite how small we are, see our name there. All of a sudden, we are on the map, and we must continue to stay on the map.”
Sam Levenson is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since October 2023. Sam is currently a sophomore at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: slevenson27@schechterli.org
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