Rich Township High School Earns Computer Science Diversity Award

RICH TOWNSHIP, IL — The Rich Township High School in District 227 earned the College Board AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for high female representation in AP Computer Science Principles (CSP), according to the district. Schools who achieve this honor have expanded girl's access in AP Computer Science courses, the district said.

According to D227, Rich Township High School is one of the 20,000 institutions that offered AP courses, with 1,119 achieving either 50 percent or higher female representation, in one of two AP computer science courses during the 2019-2020 school year. In 2020, Rich Township High School was one of only 831 recognized in the category of AP Computer Science Principles, the district said.

"Rich Township High School’s students need the power to shape technology, not just cope with it," said Stefanie Sanford, College Board Chief of Global Policy and External Relations. "Young women deserve an equal opportunity to become the next generation of entrepreneurs, engineers and tech leaders. Closing the gap in computer science education empowers young women to build the future they want."

The district said providing female students with access to computer science courses is critical to ensuring gender parity in the industry’s high-paying jobs and to drive innovation, creativity and representation. The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $88,240 in May 2019. According to College Board data, female students who take AP CSP in high school are five times more likely to major in computer science in college, compared to similar female students who did not take CSP.

RTHS has its main offices in Matteson, IL, the STEM Campus in Olympia Fields, IL and the Fine Arts and Communications Campus in Richton Park, IL. Learn more about the school district on its website, here.