They tried to put me in the gifted class when I was young, but since the first thing they wanted out of me was a test, I got too bored to even feel like it was worth it.
Then in high school, I was in AP English and AP Government.
Though I'm in a masters program for writing now, and graduated with honors with a B.A. in English, I can effectively comment on how little AP English
impacted my understanding and ability to develop academic, analytical work.
So my guess, especially if it's public school, is that they really don't amount to much for the majority of folks involved in them.