Nacogdoches High School had 128 students receive honors in advanced placement, or AP, courses during the 2024-25 school year, up from 62 a year ago and 42 in 2023.
Participation and performance in the AP program helped place NHS on the AP School Honor Roll for the 2024-25 academic year. For a school to be recognized on the AP School Honor Roll in a given year, it must:
Meet each of the following criteria for their students in the most recent graduating class; these criteria are anchored in research-based relationships between AP and college outcomes:
College Culture: 40% or more of the graduating cohort took at least 1 AP Exam during high school.
College Credit: 25% or more of the graduating cohort scored a 3 or higher on at least 1 AP Exam during high school.
College Optimization: 2% or more of the graduating cohort took 5 or more AP Exams during high school. At least 1 of those exams was taken in 9th or 10th grade, so that students are spreading their AP experience across grades rather than feeling disproportionate pressure in any single year.
Have full-time grade-12 enrollments.
Sixty-six students at NHS received an AP Scholar designation from the College Board, which oversees the program, six received AP Scholar with Honor, 25 received AP Scholar with Distinction, 15 received the AP Capstone Diploma and 16 earned AP Seminar and Research Certificate. The recognition includes current students and as well Class of 2025 graduates.
To receive the AP Capstone Diploma, students must earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar, AP Research, and on four additional AP Exams of their choice. To receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate, students must earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research.
AP Scholar awards are granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams. AP Scholar with Honor designations go to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. AP Scholar with Distinction is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.
Students receiving awards (Class of 2025 graduates are noted with an *asterisk and are not pictured):
AP Capstone Diploma
Ella Ainsworth
Isabella Castillo
Katelyn Frost
Denise Garcia
Maddie Gayden
Avery Hardcastle
Audrey McDermott
Grace McKinney
Armaan Rajani
*Jean Choi
*Lillian Montes
*Justin Phillips
*Molly Pitts
*Rees Runnels
*Benjamin Satir
AP Scholar
Olivia Ajero
Markus Benavides
Peyton Casner
Geovani Centeno
Robyn Chandler-Ezell
Gabriella Chavarria
Amory Cooper
Omar Corona
Chloe Daniels
Evelyn Datin
Moira Diaz
Hannah Harkness
Abraham Jasso
Gurleen Kaur
Peyton Lewis
Sophie Middlebrook
Luke Mitchell
Angela Nguyen
Ronald Satir
Olivia Schulz
Ava Tkacik
Owen Allen
Bridget Autrey
Maelyn Kate Basa
Michael Bates
John Bermudez
Isabella Castillo
Katelyn Frost
Denise Garcia
Maddie Gayden
Eli Hernandez
Pepper Hill
Sophie Mcclendon
Josue Morones
Lillian Nelson
Sonia Ocampo
Dayanara Paez-Luna
Sawyer Phelps
Natalie Reyes
Coen Robinson
Abigail Roldan
Hailey Shadow
Aaron Smith
Kamryn Taylor
Hadyn Vardeman
Alexander Vega
William Vermeulen
*JaBrandon Chatman
*Benjamin Cox
*Irvin Cruz
*Kaylie Daniels
*Miguel Diaz
*Ella Furniss
*Olivia Gomez
*Rowan McGee
*Chelsea Mejia
*Lillian Montes
*Heidi Nicholas
*Luke Pierce
*Micaela Puffer
*Liam Rahman
*Daniela Salvador
*Mark Sifuentes
*Shivaghanesan Sonha
*Samantha Torres
*Gezle Raus Uson
AP Scholar with Distinction
Malachi Anderson
Dylan Clifton
Sebastian Darville
Avery Hardcastle
Audrey McDermott
Grace McKinney
Myah Morrill
Armaan Rajani
Alexandra Willardson
Sophia Willardson
James Wright
*Abigail Allman
*Edrik Basa
*Jean Choi
*Kinley Creamer
*Rebekah Datin
*Adyson Gibson
*Charles Hodge
*Nixon Long
*Justin Phillips
*Dereck Polo
*Julian Pruit
*Rees Runnels
*Benjamin Satir
AP Scholar with Honor
Ella M. Ainsworth
*Delayna Adams
*Amy Lopez
*Molly Pitts
*Jacob Turner
*Luis Zavala
AP Seminar and Research Certificate
Bridget Autrey
Kate Basa
Paulina Carrillo
Eli Hernandez
Xianna Kendell
Sophie Mcclendon
Myah Morrill
Natalie Reyes
Abigail Roldan
Kamryn Taylor
Cassinday Tieman
*Kaitlin Bobo
*Irvin Cruz
*Ella Furniss
*Aurbree Garcia
*Mark Sifuentes
Other College Board awards include First-Generation Recognition, Rural and Small-Town Recognition and School Recognition.
Students are eligible in the 10th and 11th grades for exceptional academic performance and are eligible for awards, based on the following criteria:
• Score in the top 10 percent of PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 test takers in their high school, in the state's first generation test takers, and/or the state's rural and small town test takers or earn a score of 3+ on two or more distinct AP exams in the eighth, ninth and/or 10th grades.
• Earn a cumulative GPA of B+ (at least 3.3 or 87 percent to 89 percent) by the time of submission of scores.
Spring 2025 Award Winners
First-Generation Recognition Award
Isabella Castillo
Dylan Clifton
Sebastian Darville
Larry Garcia
Gurleen Kaur
Luis Martinez-Alcantara
Sonia Ocampo
Rural and Small-Town Recognition Award
Owen Allen
Maelyn Kate Basa
Isabella Castillo
Robyn Chandler-Ezell
Dennis Choi
Dylan Clifton
Amory Cooper
Sebastian Darville
Moira Diaz
Katelyn Frost
Denise Garcia
Larry Garcia
Maddie Gayden
Hannah Harkness
Luis Martinez-Alcantara
Audrey McDermott
Grace McKinney
Lillian Nelson
Sonia Ocampo
Servet Satir
Hailey Shadow
Aaron Smith
School Recognition Award
Owen Allen
Maelyn Kate Basa
Isabella Castillo
Dennis Choi
Dylan Clifton
Amory Cooper
Sebastian Darville
Katelyn Frost
Denise Garcia
Maddie Gayden
Avery Hardcastle
Hannah Harkness
Audrey McDermott
Grace McKinney
Sonia Ocampo
Armaan Rajani
Servet Satir
Hailey Shadow
Alexandra Willardson
Sophia Willardson
James Wright
AP Capstone Diploma
Front row, from left – Audrey McDermott, Maddie Gayden and Ella Ainsworth; back row – Avery Hardcastle, Grace McKinney, Isabella J. Castillo and Armaan Rajani. Not pictured: Katelyn Frost.
AP Research and Seminar
Front row, from left – Abigail Roldan, Cassie Tieman, Kamryn Taylor, Kate Basa and Xianna Kendell; back row – Natalie Reyes, Paulina Carrillo, Sophie McClendon, Myah Morrill and Bridget Autrey.
Rural and Small-Town Recognition
Front row, from left – Lillian Nelson, Isabella J. Castillo, Hailey Shadow, Robyn Chandler-Ezell, Sebastian Cortes and Servet Satir; middle row – Dennis Choi, Moira Diaz, Luis Martinez-Alcantara, Hannah Harkness, Maddie Gayden and Audrey McDermott; back row – Larry Garcia, Grace McKinney, Maelyn Kate Basa, Sonia Ocampo, Aaron Smith, Dylan Clifton and Owen Allen.
School Recognition
Front row, from left – Avery Hardcastle, Isabella J. Castillo, Hailey Shadow, Sebastian Cortes and Servet Satir; middle row – Sophie Willardson, Grace McKinney, Maelyn Kate Basa, Hannah Harkness, Maddie Gayden and Audrie McDermott; back row – Dennis Choi, Alexandra Willardson, Sonia Ocampo, Dylan Clifton, Owen Allen and Armaan Rajani. Not pictured: James Wright.
First Generation Recognition
Front row, from left – Sonia Ocampo, Isabella J. Castillo, Sebastian Cortes and Dylan Clifton; back row – Gurleen Kaur, Larry Garcia and Luis Martinez-Alcantara.
AP Scholars
