Russellville High School has earned the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation – more than 50 percent – in AP Computer Science Principles. Schools honored with the award have expanded girls’ access in AP computer science courses.

“Computer science is the source code of our economy and much of the career landscape,” said Trevor Packer, Head of the AP Program. “In the six years since we began the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award, it’s been heartening to see schools like Russellville High School welcome so many more young women into this vital field.”

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.

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 students are nearly twice as likely to enroll in AP CSA, and that for most students, AP CSP serves as a stepping stone to other advanced AP STEM coursework.

These findings highlight the importance of schools nationwide achieving gender parity in AP computer science classrooms. Overall, female students remain underrepresented in high school computer science classes, accounting for 34 percent of AP Computer Science Principles participants and 26 percent of AP Computer Science A participants. Currently, 57.5 percent of the nation’s high schools teach foundational computer science. RHS is among the 1,127 schools receiving this year’s AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award.