Systemic gaps across educational opportunities for students of color and students from economically marginalized communities continue to exist in educational contexts. As Gorski (2018) stated, public education is supposed to be the great equalizer. Yet, we can see that our meritocratic system is creating further divides between those who have opportunities and those who do not. There is an overwhelming amount of research surrounding the barriers marginalized students face when accessing Advanced Placement coursework (e.g., Ricciardi & Winsler, 2021). I see the inclusion of equal access to AP courses as a step in equalizing the opportunities for all students. My research questions were developed to assess whether students and families in a Title 1, high-minority school view the inclusion of AP courses as a worthwhile initiative to pursue. My research questions were: 1) What do students and family members in a Title 1, high-minority school say about Advanced Placement coursework? And 2) In what ways do students' and families' perceptions of Advanced Placement align with their views and goals for the future? I adopted a qualitative study design to honor the voices of the participants to understand better what the students themselves think about AP and allow their voices to guide what we do moving forward as a school. Through systematic data analysis, I identified four major themes. The themes included the primary decision-making role of students when choosing courses, the varying roles of teachers in students' academic and emotional support, the lack of clear alignment between AP coursework and students' future goals, and the influence of self-efficacy on course choices and success. Additionally, the students and parents viewed access to these courses as an equitable action step for the school. The findings of this study suggest that more work needs to be done to ensure students have access to all possible rigorous course options available. Schools must develop a mechanism for ensuring information is shared with students and parents on the various rigorous course offerings available so that students and parents can make an informed decision regarding course selection. Descriptions of courses and the purpose of specific courses must be made available in the languages prevalent in the community. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]