The Iowa AP Index

The Top 50 AP Schools In Iowa

Since 2005, the Belin-Blank Center has released the Iowa AP Index to recognize the Top 50 Iowa accredited public and nonpublic high schools for providing Advanced Placement opportunities to Iowa's high school students. The 2022 Iowa AP Index is based on May 2021 AP exams and May/June 2021 graduation data. We anticipate that the 2023 Index will be available in mid-May.

View the Index

Numbers for the AP Index were rounded to the hundredths, and ties were broken by carrying out decimal places further. For more on how we run the numbers, please see About the Index.

Highlights of This Year's Index

Top 5 Schools

  1. Maharishi School, Fairfield
  2. West High School, Iowa City
  3. Regina Catholic Education Center, Iowa City
  4. Valley High School, West Des Moines
  5. Liberty High School, North Liberty

The Iowa AP Index focuses only on AP opportunities. We encourage high schools to continue their efforts at offering AP courses, and we applaud students for stepping up to the academic challenge.

Highest-Ranking Nonpublic School

#1, Maharishi School, Fairfield

Highest-Ranking Public School

#2, West High School, Iowa City

Special Recognition

Magnet School

Des Moines Central Academy, Des Moines, with an AP Index of 6.25

Smallest graduating class (7 students)*

Valley Lutheran High School, Cedar Falls, #10

Largest graduating class (712 students)*

Waukee Community High School, West Des Moines, #46

*Out of schools in the top 50

Congratulations to all of the 2022 AP Index schools!

If you are interested in improving your school's AP Index and developing a culture of advanced learning, consider sending teachers to this year's AP Summer Institute (APSI) on the University of Iowa campus. Seats are limited.