With the end of the Community School of Davidson (CSD) high school’s 2024-2025 comes the annual rush to reach the end of class content, finish final projects, and, of course, complete standardized testing. CSD becomes a different type of school during May, the time of AP and EOC tests.
In the month of May, most if not all of the students at CSD are forced to change their ways at school, whether it is where they sit at lunch, access to their lockers, or where their classes meet each day. The need for state mandated quiet testing spaces necessitates nearly a dozen classes being forced to relocate.
By the numbers, at least 11 major AP exams spread themselves across the first two weeks of May testing. According to Jessica Smith, guidance counselor and test coordinator, 284 students are taking a total of 506 AP exams in 2025. .For some tests, this involves more than 80 students at a time, while some exams can be as small as one.
Then it is time for EOC testing. In 2025, on the heels of AP testing weeks, underclassmen take EOC exams in English 2, Math 1 and Biology. Since formal classes have finished, the majority of students in the building are those taking EOC exams and they are free to leave when they finish.
It is a month like no other.
The biggest impact of test relocations is classroom space. Several classes such as Spanish, Mandarin, woodshop, dance, etc. have to find alternate classrooms or spaces to continue their class for the rest of the year. It can be inconvenient when it is hard to find a new classroom.
On alternating days, either the junior wing or the arts commons areas close for all or part of the day. The arts commons houses four different classrooms as well as the woodshop plus music production and dance studios. The junior wing has five classrooms as well as the ceramics studio and weight room. Teachers and students feel the impact of classroom relocation.
While junior Ethan Tomko has not been impacted this year, he has been affected by it before and understands how it can impact other students.
“It hasn’t affected me.
But when it happened last year and it was only for Spanish, it was a little inconvenient,” Ethan Tomko (‘26) said.
As long as classes have to relocate, students who have lockers in those areas cannot use them either.
Callie Hobbs (‘25) understands how this might affect students.
“I can definitely see how not having access to your locker is an inconvenience. With nowhere to keep your stuff, you either have to carry everything yourself or bother your friends to use their lockers,” Callie Hobbs said. “I got lucky this year with my locker being on the Learning Street cut through, so I haven’t and probably never will lose access.”
The exams have also caused a change in the schedule as Jumpstart (the unstructured, activity promoting 10 minute free time between blocks 2 and 3) has been removed from the schedule, adding ten more minutes to lunch for students to eat.
Elena Cunningham (27’) is a fan of Jumpstart and is affected by the new schedule that lasts until the end of the year.
“Jumpstart is an important part of my day, so I don’t love that we lose it during AP testing. I use Jumpstart to socialize with people who I don’t usually eat my lunch with, so I feel like I talk to a much narrower group of people during the two weeks of testing,” Elena Cunningham said.
Then, as quickly as it all started, testing, and the school year ends.
