Emmaus High School

Receives diversity award

Emmaus High School recently received the College Board AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in the course AP Computer Science Principles.

Schools honored with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have expanded girls’ access in AP computer science courses.

More than 1,000 institutions achieved either 50 percent or higher female representation in one of the two AP computer science courses or a percentage of the female computer science exam takers meeting or exceeding that of the school’s female population during the 2020-2021 school year.

In 2021, EHS was one of 760 recognized in the category of AP Computer Science Principles.

“By encouraging young women to study advanced computer science coursework, Emmaus High School is closing the gap in computer science education and empowering young women to access the opportunities available in STEM career fields,” Stefanie Sanford, College Board chief of Global Policy and External Relations, said.

“Computer science is the foundation of many 21st century career options and young women deserve equal opportunities to pursue computer science education and drive technological innovation.”

The first year of AP Computer Science Principles in 2016-2017 attracted more students than any other AP course debut and participation is on the rise.

In 2021, more than 116,000 students took the advanced placement CSP Exam-more than double the number of exam takers in the course’s first year. In 2021, 39,218 women took the advanced placement CSP Exam, nearly three times the number who tested in 2017.

Providing female students with access to computer science courses is critical to ensuring gender parity in the industry’s high-paying jobs and to driving innovation, creativity, and representation. The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $91,250 in May 2020. However, a code.org analysis of 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics data finds women represent just 24 percent of the five million people in computing occupations. Computing jobs are the number one source of new wages in the U.S., although 67 percent of all new jobs in STEM are in computing, only 11 percent of STEM bachelor’s degrees are in computer science.

That’s why College Board research about AP CSP is so encouraging. According to the data, female students who take AP CSP in high school are more than five times as likely to major in computer science in college, compared to female students of similar background and academic preparation who did not take CSP. The study also finds AP CSP serves as a stepping stone to other advanced AP STEM coursework.