CARSON CITY, Nev. – Nine schools in Nevada have earned the first College Board AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science Principles. Schools honored with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have expanded girls’ access in AP Computer Science courses. Nine Nevada schools made the list of 685 secondary schools that were chosen from the more than 18,000 worldwide schools that offer AP courses. They include:

• Cheyenne High School, Clark County School District (CCSD)
• Churchill County High School 
• Douglas High School
• East Career and Technical Academy, CCSD
• Equipo Academy, Charter
• Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, CCSD
• Northwest Career and Technical Academy, CCSD
• Veterans Tribute Career and Technical Academy, CCSD
• Western High School, CCSD

“We’re very proud of the recognition our female students studying computer science for their achievements have received,” said Cindi Chang, who oversees computer science at the Nevada Department of Education. “We’re committed to continuing to provide our female students with access to AP Computer Science courses to help prepare a more diverse workforce in critical STEM jobs.”

Schools receiving the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have either 50 percent or higher female representation in one of the two AP computer science courses or a percentage of the female computer science examinees meeting or exceeding that of the school’s female population. Only 490 schools earned the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for AP Computer Science Principles.

“By inviting many more young women to advanced computer science classrooms, Nevada has taken a significant step toward preparing all students for the widest range of 21st-century opportunities,” said Trevor Packer, College Board senior vice president of the AP Program. “We hope this inspires many other high schools to engage more female students in AP Computer Science and prepare them to drive innovation.”

The AP Computer Science Principles course launch in 2016 was the largest in Program history and has promoted the growth of AP computer science in high schools. AP computer science course participation increased 135 percent since 2016, broadening STEM career opportunities for more students. The number of female, rural, and underrepresented minority students taking AP computer science exams has more than doubled in that period.

Providing female students with access to computer science courses contributes to gender parity in the industry’s high-paying jobs and drives innovation, creativity, and competition. According to UNESCO’s Institute of Statistics data, less than 30 percent of the world’s researchers are women; in North America and Western Europe, it’s just 32 percent. Research shows women are more likely to pursue computer science if they’re given the opportunity to explore it in high school.