Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.
Prospect High School in Saratoga has a large Latino population, but that’s not reflected in the demographics of its Advanced Placement classes.
Walking into Prospect, a student would see a multitude of cultural club posters stuck on walls, strings full of country flags hung up during multicultural week, and students of various ethnicities roaming around campus. Yet, there is one place devoid of this diversity – AP classrooms.
Fiona Aman, who graduated from Prospect in June, said she felt like some of her classmates would act like she shouldn’t be in AP classes.
“It’s not necessarily just because I’m a person of color, because it’s happened from other people of color, but I was the only Black person in that class,” Aman said.
According to the 2024-2025 Prospect school profile, about 39% of the school is Hispanic. Data provided by Prospect Assistant Principal Evan Carter shows out of the 443 students who take AP classes at Prospect, only 54 are Hispanic, translating to only 12.1% of AP students.
Black students make up 4% of Prospect’s general population and about 3% of AP students. Even with a smaller margin of difference, Aman noted she struggled to feel accepted by her peers in advanced classes.
“This might just be a matter of not knowing me I guess,” Aman said. “But when we’re in a group project, I’ve heard them say, ‘I don’t want her in my group.’ ”
Prince Barfield Cruz, who graduated from Prospect High School in June, took four AP classes at Prospect. Similar to Aman, she was often the only Latino student in her AP classes.
“It’s people who have these like pre-beliefs, and it’s kind of hard to work around that,” Barfield Cruz said.
She said she’s been asked what she is doing in a class and has faced remarks about being Mexican.
“It’s a joke until it’s like, ‘why were you inclined to say that?’” Barfield Cruz said.
Barfield Cruz said students would question when she got an answer right, and she worked hard to prove to them she was “at their level” throughout the year.
Even then, she wishes her peers understood how hard she works to make a good impression.
“I’m not just me,” Barfield Cruz said. “I hold a cultural background, and I am representing the people at this school, especially Hispanic people.”
Former Campbell Union High School District Assistant Superintendent German Cerda said making sure every student, no matter their socioeconomic background, felt accepted and supported in advanced classes was a challenge.
The district works to get more women, low-income students and underrepresented minorities in AP classes, especially for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses. The district started initiatives including audits on demographics and interviewing students about their experiences. It even received a grant from Google to support more initiatives.
“We want to see representation,” Cerda said, who is now superintendent of Alum Rock Union School District. “If there are 10% of students of color, then there should be 10% in those classes.”
Cerda notes he thinks “imposter syndrome” and feeling that they don’t belong is why students choose not to take AP classes.
Barfield Cruz said she thinks access to resources stands in the way of more Hispanic students from taking AP.
“It’s a language barrier and cultural difference,” Barfield Cruz said. “If it weren’t for the people I hang out with, I wouldn’t have known to take these classes or what they have to offer.”
She thinks having more AP resources in Spanish and reaching out to other communities within the school will encourage more students to take those classes.
“I think it would be great for these students to realize what the school has to offer and take advantage,” Barfield Cruz said. “Because even if they don’t want to pursue higher education, AP has so much to offer.”
Riya Minglani was a member of the class of 2025 at Prospect High School in Saratoga.