Richmond school ranks in top 8% of all qualifying schools nationwide, building on a three-year record of college readiness
College Board has named Model Laboratory School to the 2025 AP® School Honor Roll at the Platinum level, the program’s highest distinction. The recognition marks Model Lab's third consecutive Platinum designation since the Honor Roll launched in 2023, placing the school in the top 8% of all qualifying schools in the United States and Canada and the top 6% of qualifying schools in Kentucky.
The AP® School Honor Roll recognizes schools whose AP® programs deliver results for students while expanding participation. Schools earn recognition based on criteria tied to college-going culture, college credit attainment, and college readiness: earning the Platinum distinction requires meeting all three at the highest level.
Only 13 of 210 qualifying Kentucky schools reached Platinum distinction, including:
Model Laboratory School (Eastern Kentucky University)
Beechwood High School (Beechwood Independent School District)
Covington Latin School (Diocese of Covington Education Office)
Notre Dame Academy (Diocese of Covington Education Office)
Villa Madonna Academy (Diocese of Covington Education Office)
DuPont Manual High School (Jefferson County Public Schools)
Francis Parker High School
Kentucky Country Day School
Louisville Collegiate School
Nur Islamic School of Louisville
Sayre School
University Heights Academy
Walden High School
With a 99% graduation rate, Model Lab students are leaving high school with more college credit than ever. The Class of 2026 will be entering college with an average of 10 credit hours already earned, which is the equivalent of more than half a semester, or approximately $6,000 at a four-year in-state university.
Moreover, Model Lab is one of the only schools in the region to offer the prestigious AP® Capstone Diploma & Certificate awarded by the College Board. Fifteen students in the Class of 2026 completed the AP® Capstone sequence this spring, with scores expected this summer that will confirm their Diploma or Certificate status. The AP® Capstone program is among the most rigorous distinctions available to high school students—a two-year program focused not on content coverage but on the research, writing, and argumentation skills needed for success in college and careers. Research from the College Board in 2020 found that Capstone participants are more likely to persist through college and earn stronger first-year GPAs.
Model Lab is Kentucky's only legislatively designated laboratory school, affiliated with Eastern Kentucky University and authorized by KRS 164.380 to pilot educational innovations for the Commonwealth. Faculty hold tenure-track EKU appointments, and the school's college preparatory culture is anchored in the Model Core, which is an eight-competency, 33-skill framework assessed through real-world performance tasks. The Platinum AP® designation reflects what that framework produces in measurable terms: students who earn college credit before graduation.
College Board's Advanced Placement® Program (AP®) enables students to pursue college-level studies (with the opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both) while still in high school. Through AP® courses in 40 subjects, each culminating in a challenging exam, students learn to think critically, construct solid arguments, and see many sides of an issue—skills that prepare them for college and beyond.
Model Laboratory Schools is Kentucky's only public PreK-12 laboratory school, located on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. Model Lab currently serves approximately 750 students throughout grades PreK-12 including populations of students in gifted and talented, ESL, students with disabilities, and students who qualify for free and reduced lunch.