Active learning is known to improve student outcomes in many STEM courses. Here, we present strategies for incorporating active learning into a large enrollment General Chemistry I course using small group activities during class time. This approach was found to mitigate gender disparities in overall course grades and reduced the number of General Chemistry I students earning a D or F grade or withdrawing from the course (chemistry casualties) by 7%. Uniquely, this study examined which groups of students benefited from active learning based on how long they had been enrolled at the institution. Our results indicate that both male- and female-identifying students performed better in the active learning course, with experienced (i.e., non first-year) female-identifying students experiencing the greatest benefit in the new format. These results add to the existing literature in support of active learning implementation in introductory STEM courses, like General Chemistry I.