Advanced Placement (AP)
The AP Program (Advanced Placement) offers college-level courses and exams that students can take in high school.
AP Courses give students:
An edge in college
An opportunity to earn college credit or place in higher-level courses
A head start in high school
A path to specific careers or college majors
All students enrolled in AP courses must create a CollegeBoard account. AP teachers will help students register for AP class(es) with CollegeBoard and connect using specific join codes. This is required because students will be using the CollegeBoard dashboard and other resources to support academic performance in each AP course. Students not enrolled in an AP course at PDHS are eligible to take an AP test and must create a CollegeBoard account.
It is the expectation of the Desert Sands Unified School District that every student enrolled in an Advanced Placement course will take the Advanced Placement exam for that course.
Summer Coursework may be required for students enrolled in AP Classes.
Please contact Ms. April Morrison in the Counseling Office for questions about registering for AP Exams.
AP HP Summer Work 2024 (final).pdf (3).pdfStudents will be placed into AP courses if:
-Course is requested through course request process (parent/student signature is required to confirm that the Advanced Placement Course Agreement has been reviewed)
-Course request has been reviewed with a counselor
-Student has met any prerequisite or placement criteria
AP- Honors Agreement 2024-25.pdfAP Capstone
Palm Desert High School implemented the AP Capstone program in the fall of 2016. AP Capstone is a two-year program. During the first year students enroll in AP Seminar. In this class students investigate real-world issues from multiple perspectives, and gather and analyze information from various sources in order to develop credible and valid evidence-based arguments. AP Seminar now counts as an English class for sophomores, so 10th grade students will receive English credit for taking AP Seminar. AP Research is the second class in the program. In AP Research, students cultivate the skills and discipline necessary to conduct independent research in order to produce and defend a scholarly academic thesis. AP Capstone courses foster the critical and creative thinking, argumentation, and research skills at the core of college readiness and are essential for lifelong learning.
