While students are in high school, there are a variety of ways to earn college credit. A traditional route to earn college credit in high school is taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes.

“You get college credit by passing the AP exams,” said senior Braden Pederson. “It is graded on a scale from one to five, so if you get a 3, 4 or 5, you pass, but most colleges will only accept a 4 or a 5. The more prestigious the college, the higher your score has to be in order for your credits to qualify.”

Although many Blue Valley students choose to take at least one AP class during their high school career, some students have chosen a different route. Senior Lauren Foley leaves Blue Valley every day after third hour to head to Johnson County Community College to take college courses.

“I wanted to get forward on my education and be able to get some of the credits out of the way, so I don’t have to pay for them at K-State,” said Foley.

In order to leave Blue Valley early every day, seniors must have completed their required high school credits. JCCC provides an outlet for students to use their early dismissal and get a head start on college.

“[JCCC] is way easier than my high school classes,”said Foley. “It is a nice break in my day, but I am also getting rid of college credit, so it’s really nice.”