AP Statistics was cut two weeks into the 2023-2024 school year with the lowest class roster seen to date, one student, due to scheduling conflicts following the trend of post-pandemic decline in AP classes.
AP Statistics has been offered at Buena for years off and on, with John Hendricks leading the way for the last five years. For students who are not headed for a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) but rather the humanities, statistics had become a supplementary math class which students learn to analyze data objectively.
“It is a great life skill, if you can go out there in the world and study something or observe something and say, well, it looks like from the data that I have collected this will probably be a very strong result or possibility,” Hendricks said. “That is always a great thing to use.”
Over the last four years AP statistics had kept a steady enrollment rate of around 20 students, with the smaller class sizes there had been a higher passing rate on the AP exam. However, this year the class was left with only one remaining student of the nine originally registered.
“We have to teach where the need is. If 50 students need help [versus] only one [student] that needs help in another class or level, we have to address the larger group,” Hendricks said.
The only remaining student enrolled in AP statistics before the cut was senior Kristina Do. Do thought that she and other students who are unable to take Stats may be interested in taking the class at Ventura college as a dual enrollment student, however decided not to do so herself.
Do took on the situation with a positive attitude and switched into a different math class even though she was “really excited” about the class.
The numbers of students taking AP classes, particularly math and science AP classes, has continued to decrease
— Tiffany Dyer
According to assistant principal of curriculum and instruction Tiffany Dyer, the dip in enrollment has been a growing issue post-COVID.
“The numbers of students taking AP classes, particularly math and science AP classes, has continued to decrease,” Dyer said.
As for next year’s roster of Buena’s class offerings, it is hoped that AP statistics will return. As well as a rise in interest for both Math and Science classes.
With the transition to block schedule for the 2023-2024 school year, many assumed high level classes which normally had scheduling conflicts in the past would be resolved. In the long run, administration is pushing for a diverse catalog of class options for both students and teachers.
“I want our school to be able to offer a rigorous curriculum for students,” Dyer said.
