I remember walking into my Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography class on the first day of freshman year, a bit daunted by the challenge of taking a college-level class but excited at the prospect of gaining college credit early. But if proposed budget cuts to these classes had gone into effect a year earlier, it would have denied me, and thousands of other students across Florida, this opportunity.

At many competitive high schools, enhanced academic programs — like AP, Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), International Baccalaureate (IB), and dual enrollment (DE) courses — are a normal part of students’ schedules. According to Niche, a platform that ranks K-12 schools and colleges across the country, over 72% of our school’s students passed their AP exams at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. The same report stated that nearly 81% of students at our school are enrolled in an AP course this year, compared to 56% of all high-school students within Florida in 2020, where enrollment rates in these classes remained high despite the COVID-19 pandemic, per the Florida College Access Network.

Despite the clear success and participation in these advanced programs, in April, the state legislature proposed a potentially detrimental setback with House Bill (HB) 5101; according to CBS 12 News, it sought to cut 50% of funding for college-level courses statewide.

The bill was originally introduced in the Florida House of Representatives by Republican state Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka. Her reasoning for this was, according to CBS 12 News, that instead of funding things like AP exams, teacher bonuses, and equipment, schools were using funds for “other expenses.” Rep. Persons-Mulicka did not provide further details on which expenses she was referring to. 

If passed, the bill would have gone into effect July 1, impacting the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. However, due to statewide backlash from teachers, faculty, parents, and students, the proposal was rejected, and funding for these classes remained at their full amount, per the Orlando Sentinel.

While HB 5101 ultimately failed to pass, the very proposal of such funding cuts exposes a critical failure in our education system. It is essential to recognize the importance of AP, AICE, and other advanced classes being offered in high schools because of the countless benefits they provide. These classes are not just another way for students to meet their academic schedule requirements; rather, they give students the opportunity to earn college credit earlier on to expose them to challenging curricula and to help bolster their resumes and college applications.

Budget Breakdown

According to Florida Politics, a news site dedicated to covering political news and issues, the state’s education budget for college-level classes amounted to a total of $596.7 million, which is allocated throughout all 67 Florida school districts.

For the 2025-2026 school year, the School District of Palm Beach County is operating under a budget of $5.9 billion, an increase from the previous year’s budget by $2 million. Of the $5.9 billion, the district currently spends $63.6 million on college-level classes, which the state originally proposed taking a $32 million cut out of that spending. According to The Palm Beach Post, the district determines funding to schools’ advanced course programs based on their respective performance and pass rates for these AP, AICE, and other course exams.

However, HB 5101 threatened to reduce the total amount of funding schools received for these classes by almost $290 million statewide, in turn reducing the financial support required to supply materials, cover staff and teacher bonuses, and offer the rigorous classes themselves to students.

The threat of funding cuts has a widespread impact. It directly impacts students districtwide. Opposing these cuts is no longer an option, but a must, to protect schools, students, and their futures.

Funding Cuts Threaten the Opportunity to Earn College Credit

For many students, taking on college-level classes is no easy task. These classes require students to be focused on completing their tasks on time, have adequate time management skills, and be on their A-game when it comes to learning material, whether it is for AICE General Paper or other courses, such as AP Macroeconomics or AP US Government and Politics. To potentially receive college credit, students are required to either pass the exam for the course (AP and AICE) or end with a passing grade in the class (DE).

Completing college-level courses allows students to demonstrate their mastery of difficult subjects and prove that they have the skills necessary to thrive in rigorous settings. This can be beneficial for a variety of reasons beyond personal achievement. An article written by The Princeton Review, an organization that sells test and class preparation materials for AP and other college classes, explains that taking AP and other high-level classes in high school allows students to prepare for college, strengthen their GPA and transcripts, and show admissions officers that they are ready for college-level work.

But if funding is cut for these courses, that may not be the case for much longer. 

Earlier this year, the school district’s superintendent, Michael Burke, voiced his concerns about the issue in an interview with CBS 12 News, stating that it would harm the thousands of students already enrolled in these classes.

“We had 70% (of students) in our class of 2024 take at least one college-level course, and we’ve been growing that every year,” Burke said. “Without these resources, it’s going to be hard to sustain that.”

Cutting funding will lead to a reduction of college-level courses being offered, setting students back in their pursuit of college credit, which stifles student growth and their ability to develop the skills needed to succeed in a college environment.

Funding Cuts Reduce Competitiveness for College Applicants 

Advanced courses allow students to make their college applications more competitive. According to Education Week, an organization specializing in educational news, top schools tend to look for applicants who have taken a considerable number of these courses, favoring these students in the admissions process over others who have not taken as many.

These college-level classes demonstrate that students have the discipline, intellect, and work ethic that are necessary to succeed at a higher level of academics, as these courses can mirror the rigor found in college. 

Additionally, the courses can boost a student’s honors point average (HPA) as the classes are weighted on a 6.0 scale as opposed to the regular 4.0 scale. This allows their academic credentials to stand out when applying to prospective colleges and schools by helping their application stand out amidst the millions of other applications sent every year. 

Funding cuts will only curb students’ abilities to thrive and set themselves apart from the rest of college applicants across the country. Their appeal to top-ranked colleges could decrease if their applications lack the advanced-level courses that many admissions officers look for in prospective students. Without them, students’ applications can be reduced to simply another number in the millions of applications that colleges receive annually.

Raised College Costs Hit Hardest for Low-Income Students

Cuts to AP, AICE, and other college-level course funding will end up raising the financial burden placed upon almost every student and their family when paying for college. However, these cuts may hit students from low-income families the hardest.

Students across Palm Beach County use these classes as part of their application process to colleges, some hoping that the inclusion of these advanced courses will entice colleges to offer them scholarships or financial aid to reduce the costs for them and their families to pay for higher education. An article by The Princeton Review stated that the process of taking and passing an AP exam in high school could potentially reduce college costs for students anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars if they passed college-level courses because it made them eligible for scholarships. These grants provide students coming from low socioeconomic backgrounds a chance to further their education and break the cycle of poverty for themselves. 

Additionally, scholarships help to bridge the gap between them and higher education, allowing these students to potentially obtain a degree from more prestigious universities that otherwise would be out of reach without a stronger application from taking college-level classes, according to the Lakeland Ledger. 

At its core, education should prioritize the success of every student and guarantee that they have equal opportunities to thrive; AP, AICE, IB, and DE programs within the district uphold this standard, leveling the playing field for students of all economic backgrounds in a nation where 59% of college students consider dropping out due to high tuition costs, according to NASFAA. So if funding cuts were to occur, it would not only impact the experience of students in the classroom — it would carry long-term consequences. 

The impact of college-level classes on students is undeniable; without these courses, we risk students being left without the tools to protect and shape their college and career futures. After all, the goal of the education system should be to uplift every student, not hold them down.