A national program that encourages high school students to enroll in advanced placement classes kicked off at Kalaheo High School.

The National Math and Science Initiative presented a $112,000 check to Kalaheo High Monday to help the school expand their AP courses and to use for incentive rewards for students who score high on their AP exams. 

Campbell, Leilehua, Mililani and Radford High Schools have launched the program in recent years to boost college-readiness. The initiative has fared well, with increased student participation in AP courses and high scores in AP exams.

In the 2012-2013 school year, the four high schools showed a 65 percent combined increase in the number of students taking math, science and English AP exams, according to a news release from the state Department of Education. Also, those students accounted for an 89 percent combined increase in students who scored three, out of five, or higher in their exams, which qualifies them for college-level credits. The increase was observed over a two-year period from the 2010-2011 school year.