The purpose of this study is to identify aspects of successful Advanced Placement programs in small schools of enrollments of 600 or fewer, and to describe the strategies that are used in these schools to make their programs successful. The study includes a pilot research project with a small school with a floundering program identifying the major problems that it has faced in starting and creating its program along with cases of two additional small schools that have found success with their programs. The cases of the successful schools are analyzed to find the aspects of the programs that have led to their success to provide struggling schools with suggestions for improvements of their programs. In the pilot study student and teacher perceptions about the AP programs in small, suburban schools surveys were developed. Both open-ended and close-ended questions were included in the survey. Close-ended answer choices to measure the students' and teachers' attitudes were measured on a Likert scale of strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, and strongly disagree. Interviews were conducted after the surveys were received to help clarify survey results and obtain more detailed information about the experiences of students and teachers. Data were analyzed to determine the major issues affecting the success of the program. The case study also involved the development of questionnaires and interview questions. Teachers and administrators answered open-ended questions about their schools' AP programs and their classrooms to get an idea of the workings of their programs. Interview questions were then developed to expand upon the issues from the questionnaires; however, interviews, which were conducted individually and in focus groups, were organic in format and did not rely solely upon the pre written questions. Pilot study results identified, scheduling, class size, student preparation, parental support, and resources as major impediments to the success of the AP program. Student and teacher questionnaires and interviews showed differences in the perceptions of student effort, parental and administrative support, issues of scheduling, and diversity of opinion. Possible explanations for these differences include lack of student experience and teacher knowledge of the intracacies of the processess involved in scheduling and creating programs of which the students are unaware. The pilot study helped define problems in small, suburban schools which were lacking in a review of the research. The first case explored in this study is of a charter school that has made Advanced Placement the cornerstone of their curriculum. Questionnaires given to teachers and administrators and interviews conducted after a review of the questionnaires elicited three strong themes regarding the school's success. Both the teachers at the school and administrators from the principal to department level directors view the preparation that the school gives its students for both the rigor of the courses and the pressure situations of high-stakes testing as the key to student achievement in AP. Teacher commitment to the program and the small size of the school are also major contributing factors to student success and consequently, the success of the AP program at this school. The second case is that of a small private school that has had success in sustaining an AP program over time. While the program remains small, it suits the size of the school and gives its students vital experience in rigorous academic courses and the advantage of AP credit towards college courses.