Program

Increasing Advanced Course Enrollment in Florida High Schools

Opportunity Cadre

Too many students are missing out on advanced classes that can shape their future. The Opportunity Cadre was created to change that.

Why it Matters

Students who take advanced courses are more likely to graduate from high school, earn college degrees, and experience economic mobility. Yet in Florida, enrollment in these courses remains unattainable for students who could succeed in them—driven by school-level practices, policies, and assumptions about student potential.

The Cadre Approach

From summer 2023 to summer 2024, Impact Florida partnered with three large school districts—Duval (DCPS), Miami-Dade (M-DCPS), and Orange County (OCPS)—to increase enrollment in advanced coursework, including Advanced Placement (AP), the Cambridge Advanced program’s Advanced Subsidiary or Advanced level courses, Dual Enrollment (DE), and International Baccalaureate (IB).

Each district received funds and technical support to:

Analyze enrollment data and identify enrollment opportunities
Design and implement targeted strategies at three high schools
Participate in four in-person convenings and cross-district collaboration

Districts chose between two models: designing their own interventions with guidance from Impact Florida or working with a national technical assistance provider with expertise in this area.

“Our collaboration through the Opportunity Cadre has been instrumental in reshaping our approach to advanced coursework.”
District leader

What districts did

To break down barriers to participation, districts designed and piloted unique strategies that fell into four categories. See our detailed guide for district leaders to learn more about the ten specific strategies, results, and considerations for those interested in this work.

1. Data-Driven Identification and Placement

Some districts used student data, such as AP Potential reports coming from a 9th grade administration of the PSAT, to proactively identify students with the ability to succeed in advanced courses. These insights prompted shifts in enrollment practices—like automatic placement into AP courses—that removed passive barriers and encouraged more students to choose rigorous coursework.

2. Personalized Student Outreach and Advising

Schools developed targeted outreach strategies by training the adults most trusted by students and leveraging survey data to connect with students on a personal level. This relationship-based advising approach helped students feel recognized and supported, making them more likely to enroll in advanced courses.

3. Reducing Structural and Financial Barriers

Some districts addressed practical obstacles by expanding access to dual enrollment courses on high school campuses and covering the cost of exams and instructional supplies for other accelerated programs. These changes helped ensure that students' participation in advanced coursework wasn’t limited by transportation challenges or financial constraints.

4. Culture-Building and Capacity Development

To build a schoolwide culture that values and supports advanced coursework, schools engaged families, empowered student ambassadors, and invested in educator development. These efforts equipped both students and staff with the tools, knowledge, and mindsets needed to expand access and challenge limiting assumptions about who belongs in rigorous courses.

Get the district strategies guide

“It’s one thing to speak to your entire ninth grade class and tell them about your advanced academics offerings... It’s another thing to… tell [specific] students, ‘This tells me you're ready. I'm empowering you to take the next step.’”
Opportunity Cadre participant

Results & Impact

The Opportunity Cadre delivered both measurable enrollment increases and meaningful culture change.

One high school increased AP participation by 70% and dual enrollment by 172% in just one year.
Across all participating schools in one district, AP enrollment for Black students rose to 53% from 31%, compared to a districtwide increase of just 8% in two consecutive years.
Another school grew enrollment in a new Cambridge Advanced program by 52% in one year (from 10.7% participation in 2023-24 to 16.2% in 2024–25).
A third district saw a 124% increase in students scoring a 3 or higher on AP exams at one high school.

Cadre participants also experienced a cultural shift. Schools began using data differently, empowering more students, and creating a new norm: advanced coursework is for everyone.

School leaders reported shifting from gatekeeping to inclusion. One district shifted to automatic enrollment of all 9th graders in AP Human Geography, establishing the expectation that every student could access rigorous coursework.

Teachers’ beliefs about student potential changed. In one district, AP teachers began recruiting students they had not previously considered, driven by AP Potential data and student surveys identifying trusted adults.

District staff reported new cross-departmental collaboration. One district broke down silos between Advanced Academics and Student Services.

124%

One district saw a 124% increase in students scoring a 3 or higher on AP exams at one high school.

Lessons Learned

Proactive Identification Can Increase Enrollment

Simply offering advanced coursework isn't enough. Districts who actively identified students with potential—often using tools like AP Potential or 9th-grade PSAT data—ensured eligible students considered advanced coursework.

Culture Change Starts with Belief in Students

Expanding access is as much about mindset as it is about policy. Shifting adult beliefs about who belongs in advanced coursework is essential for changing enrollment patterns.

Personalized Outreach Makes a Difference

Relationship-based advising and targeted communication (especially from trusted adults) increase student participation in advanced coursework more effectively than broad announcements.

Structural Supports Improve Access

Providing courses on high school campuses, eliminating fees, and embedding support systems within rigorous courses helps mitigate logistical and financial barriers to advanced course participation.

Related Resources, Tools, and Stories

February 2, 2026

Increasing Advanced Course Enrollment in Florida High Schools

Why it Matters

The Cadre Approach

What districts did

1.

Data-Driven Identification and Placement

2.

Personalized Student Outreach and Advising

3.

Reducing Structural and Financial Barriers

4.

Culture-Building and Capacity Development

Results & Impact

Lessons Learned

Proactive Identification Can Increase Enrollment

Culture Change Starts with Belief in Students

Personalized Outreach Makes a Difference

Structural Supports Improve Access

What happened when we tried universal AP? The results speak for themselves.

Data-Driven Practices Are Helping More Students Access Advanced Coursework and Realize Their Potential

10 District-Led Approaches to Increasing Advanced Course Enrollment

Expanding Access to Advanced Coursework in Florida High Schools