As AP exam registration opened last Friday, September 6, students were hit with an increase in prices — from $105 last year to $116 this year. 

The price increase reflects an increase in the overall cost of running each AP exam, according to Assistant Superintendent Teri Faught. Faught cited the price increases in renting equipment like tables and chairs as well as in paying proctors and facilitating accommodations. The last time the Mountain View–Los Altos School District raised prices was in 2019, when costs were increased from $95 to $105. 

“The prices that we have been charging were nowhere near supporting the increase of expenditures,” Faught said. “All of the neighboring school districts were charging between $115 and $146, and so we decided to make an adjustment in our prices.”

Faught also said that the College Board wasn’t the root cause of the increases. The base price of most AP exams, set by the College Board, is currently $97. That price saw only a $1 increase from the year prior.

However, the District will continue to offer reduced-price programs at the same price: $10 per exam for students in the free and reduced lunch program. The process will not change for the upcoming school year. In addition, the District will continue to charge the same across-the-board regardless of accommodations like time-and-a-half. 

“We understand that $116 is a lot of money, and for some families, that cost may be difficult,” Faught said. “We want to be there to support them.”