More Than 61% of Fulton Graduates Earned College Credit Before Graduation

More than 61% of Fulton County Schools’ Class of 2025 earned at least one college credit before graduation, up from 54% of the Class of 2022, as more students took advantage of advanced coursework during high school.

Chief Academic Officer Brannon Gaskins presented the figures at the school board’s Oct. 22 meeting. The increase amounts to more than seven percentage points across the two graduating classes. Fulton’s college-credit pathways include Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and dual enrollment.

The figures, released in the district’s Oct. 23 board bulletin, cover Fulton County Schools as a whole. They are not separate results for individual North Fulton high schools.

Exclusive sponsor

SAT or ACT? Start with a free practice test.Try a full-length diagnostic, in person or from home. Get a score report and recommendations for your next steps.Find a free mock test ↗

Gaskins said the district wants to identify students earlier for advanced learning and remove barriers to participation. Fulton also plans future updates on ACT and SAT participation and performance.

How college credit can carry forward

For families weighing high school courses, the benefit depends partly on what a student’s eventual college will accept.

Qualifying AP exam scores can lead to college credit, permission to skip an introductory course, or both. Those outcomes are different: advanced placement allows a student to begin with higher-level coursework, while credit counts toward the credits required for a degree. The College Board’s explanation of credit and placement outlines how the two work.

Families can use the AP credit policy search to compare colleges and subjects. A qualifying score can be useful, but students should check the receiving college’s requirements before assuming it will shorten their degree program.

Dual enrollment follows a different route: students take college courses while still in high school and receive both high school and college credit. At Cambridge High School in Milton, students can take all their classes through a college or combine high school classes with college courses taken on campus or online.

Spring applicants should check school deadlines now

Students considering dual enrollment for spring should review their school’s application steps alongside the college’s requirements.

At Northview High School, the spring deadline is the last school day on or before Nov. 1. The school’s application instructions call for a college application, a dual-enrollment funding application that includes a parent agreement, a review of eligible courses and a Fulton County dual-enrollment contract. Colleges may require additional forms, placement tests or other application steps.

Students should confirm the deadline and required paperwork with their own school before finalizing a spring schedule.