Advanced placement
AP Classes
2024-2025 AP Offerings at BHS
Bay High School offers college level courses called Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The difficulty of the work, the time and the attention demanded, the inclusion of the summer reading and assignments, and the cost, exceeds that of other high school courses we offer. Successful scores on the AP Exam usually result in college credit in that area. Students taking these classes are required to take the AP Exam and are responsible for the cost of the exam. These costs are approximately $98 per test. AP courses offer an adjusted GPA scale for students who complete the AP curriculum work earning a grade of C+ or higher and complete the AP exam. Students may choose to study the curriculum of an AP course on their own as an Independent Study and take the AP Exam, but the course will not be listed on the student’s transcript as an AP course, nor will the student receive the AP weight for their grade. If this option might be for you, plan to attend the AP Information Night, January 24, 2024. We encourage students to use this opportunity to gain understanding of the expectations and rigor of AP coursework, as students are not permitted to drop an AP class once the class has begun.
Benefits to taking AP Classes
There are several benefits to taking AP classes for students. In the college application process, one of the main factors that colleges consider is "course rigor," or whether a student has taken advanced classes. This shows colleges that students are prepared and motivated enough to handle the academic rigor of college. Ideally, students should be taking courses with increasing rigor each year and maintaining strong grades in those classes. Highly selective colleges expect students to have taken the most challenging courses available to them and excelled. Another advantage to taking AP classes is that an AP class is the same in Ohio as it is in California as it is in Florida; the curriculum is set by the College Board. This means that when you apply to college with AP credit, colleges know exactly how rigorous your coursework was (unlike College Credit Plus (CCP) classes, which have varying difficulties and curriculum depending on where you took it). Whereas CCP can benefit students looking at in-state Ohio public universities, AP classes are great for students considering private or out-of-state colleges.
See our CCP page for more info.
Choosing your ap classes
Course selection is important to help students show depth of curiosity about topics that interest them. High school course selection can go a long way in terms of helping a student develop a focused area of interest. Students should consider their college and career goals - for example, if a student is interested in entering a STEM major, students should consider taking advanced courses in calculus, physics, chemistry, etc.