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University Highlights and AP Record Results
As students return to campus this week, members of the Class of 2026 are beginning their post-secondary journeys, and it’s also a good time to look back on AP results from last year.
Shawnigan had 130 students graduate last year, and they have branched out across Canada and around the world for the next steps in their lives. All 130 received university acceptances, and of those who opted to go straight to post-secondary, 43 percent are going into business and commerce, 18 percent to humanities and social sciences, 16 percent to science, 12 percent into health, six percent into art and design, and five percent into engineering. Fifty-seven percent of last year’s graduates are attending universities in Canada, 21 percent are headed to the US, 11 percent are off to the UK, four percent are bound for other countries, and seven percent are taking a gap year.
Our six guidance counsellors helped the 130 students secure 559 offers from 164 different universities, and a total of $5.26 million in scholarship offers.
Notable acceptances included Dartmouth College, Johns Hopkins University, Rice University, Stanford University, and UC Berkeley in the US; Durham University, King’s College London, University College London, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of St Andrews in the UK; McGill University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Toronto, and the University of Waterloo in Canada; and Copenhagen Business School, NYU Abu Dhabi, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Amsterdam, and the University of Melbourne in other nations.
We have seen AP results improve over each of the last six years, reflecting the sustained strength of our academic program. In 2025-26, students recorded the highest average AP score to date, of approximately 4.0/5, and 93 percent of exams recorded a score of 3 or higher. Last school year saw 186 students write a total of 430 AP exams, up from 180 students writing 393 exams the previous year.
In addition to the growth in participation, the overall average of scores of 3 or more increased to 92 percent, up from 89 percent the year before. Shawnigan students scored above the global average in 23 of 26 courses, and above or equal to the provincial average in 14 of 26 courses.
A total of 88 students – nearly half of those who took part – earned AP Scholar recognition with an average AP score of 4.10, more than double the number achieved in 2020. This year’s honours also included 30 AP Scholars with Distinction, 26 AP Scholars with Honour, four AP International Diplomas, and one AP Capstone Diploma.
Congratulations to all those who completed AP courses, and good luck to our recent grads now attending universities!
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 12 –18 on Canada’s beautiful Pacific Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
