Several St. John Paul II Catholic High School (JPII) students received special graduation cords based on their Advanced Placement (AP) classes. An AP Scholar cord is a graduation decoration awarded to students who have earned recognition from the College Board for their accomplishments on AP exams. The color of the cord signifies a student's academic excellence in AP coursework. 

An AP Scholar receives a green and white cord and is given to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams. The high school’s Margaret E. Allison, Zaira Y. Dimas, Kate E. Heyland, Alexandra B. Jodon, Burke H. Jones, Abigail A. Smith, and Clairisse M. Sturgis are all AP Scholars.

An AP Scholar with Honors receives a green and silver cord and is given 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. Katherine E. Allen, Sirisha Chennupati, Haley Protz, Bridget C. Duffy, Stephen J. Hibbs, Elijah J. Reitmeier, Benjamin M. Santy, Genevieve L. Detwiler, Julian M. Lowe, and Juliann R. Reid are the school’s AP Scholars with Honors.

An AP Scholar with Distinction receives a green and gold cord and is given 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. The high school’s AP Scholars with Distinction are Erika Prasthofer and Savannah J. Whetstone.