Alachua County Public Schools said 981 students earned Scholar Awards for the 2025-26 school year, a total that includes three award levels. The College Board figures put 455 students in Scholar with Distinction, 145 in Scholar with Honors and 381 as Scholars.
Alachua County Public Schools totals
The district said the awards recognize students for strong scores on multiple exams. Scholar with Distinction required an average score of at least 3.5 on all exams and scores of 3 or higher on at least five exams. Scholar with Honors required an average score of at least 3.25 and scores of 3 or higher on at least four exams. Scholars earned scores of 3 or higher on three or more exams.
Six district high schools had students recognized in all three Scholar categories. That spread shows the recognition reached across more than one campus and was not limited to a single school or award tier.
College Board program
The College Board administers the program nationwide, and scores of 3 or above can qualify students for credits or advanced placement at many colleges and universities. The district also said the College Board recognized 72 ACPS students who earned the Capstone Diploma this year and 39 who received the Seminar and Research Certificate.
Those totals add another layer to the district’s results, but they do not capture every top-performing student in Alachua County Public Schools. Many of the district’s highest-achieving students take Cambridge and International Baccalaureate exams instead of exams, so they are not included in the Scholar counts.
Cambridge and IB students
The Scholar Awards therefore show only part of the district’s high-end academic performance for 2025-26. The numbers give a clear count of students who excelled in work, while leaving out students whose strongest results came through Cambridge and IB pathways.
