Advanced Placement Courses are for students who have demonstrated exceptional success in Honors level courses and are ready to increase their Academic Rigor.

Students must have acheived an A or B in Honors Level Courses and have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher to be considered for AP courses. This requirement is to ensure that the student is prepared to meet the challenge and rigor of the college level course material required for success in Advanced Placement Courses. 

In person AP Courses offered at LHS*: 

AP Capstone Seminar AP Capstone Research

AP Language and Composition AP Literature and Composition

AP Earth Science** AP World History: Modern**

AP Precalculus AP Music Theory

*All in person course offerings are contingent upon sufficient student enrollment. 

These courses are available online through NCSSM or NCVPS if they cannot be offered in person.

**Can be taken by 9th grade students who have shown exceptional success in their 8th grade courses with recommendation from their 8th grade teachers. 

If enough students are interested to merit a full course being taught here on campus of any of the AP Course curriculums, we will make every effort to make that happen if we have a qualified staff person to teach the course. 

AP Courses offered online through NCSSM or NCVPS as available: (Click on either one to view the website for that program.) 

AP Calculus AB AP African American History (not offered 24-25)

AP Calculus BC AP Environmental Science

AP European History AP Human Geography

AP Physics I AP Physics II

AP Statistics AP U.S. Government and Politics 

AP World History AP Art History

AP Psychology AP United States History

Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required to register for any AP Course. 

All AP Course Descriptions

*In-Person course offerings are dependent upon student enrollment. 

AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION (takes place of English III) Prerequisite: English II or English II Honors. Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required. AP® English Language and Composition gives you the opportunity to learn that skill through the texts you'll read and the analytical essays you'll write. You'll also learn effective analysis tactics so that you can come away with the main idea and purpose of any text you read. AP Lang is a great alternative for English III for students who are college bound and have a strong work ethic.
This course is a college level course and is offered for students who will take the AP exam. An AP course in English Language and Composition engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Both their writing and their reading should make students aware of the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects, as well as the way genre conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing. 

AP SEMINAR (Elective; required for the AP Capstone Diploma; Takes the place of Composition) Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required. AP Capstone is designed to develop students' skills in research, analysis, evidence-based arguments, collaboration, writing, and presenting. AP Seminar is a great first AP Course for those interested in AP. 10th and 11th graders are preferred.
AP Seminar is a foundational course that engages students in cross-curricular conversations that explore the complexities of academic and real-world topics and issues by analyzing divergent perspectives. Using an inquiry framework, students practice reading and analyzing articles, research studies, and foundational, literary, and philosophical texts; listening to and viewing speeches, broadcasts, and personal accounts; and experiencing artistic works and performances. Students learn to synthesize information from multiple sources, develop their own perspectives in written essays, and design and deliver oral and visual presentations, both individually and as part of a team. Ultimately, the course aims to equip students with the power to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments. This course will paired with Honors English II on an A-B schedule. Those students wishing to take this course after the 10th grade, will choose an online course to pair with it in place of the English II. 

AP LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION (takes place of English IV) Prerequisite: English III or English III Honors, Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required.

This 1-semester course is a college-level course and is offered for students who will take the AP exam. There will be independent, analytical readings, and critical analysis of important American and British works. Students must be self-motivated, avid, and critical readers who possess superior skills in reading and writing. Advance reading is required before starting this course. 

AP PRECALCULUS Prerequisite: Math III or Math III Honors, Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required. (Fulfills 4th Math Graduation Requirement: Typically taken in the 11th or 12th grade)

AP Precalculus prepares students for other college-level mathematics and science courses. Through regular practice, students build deep mastery of modeling and functions, and they examine scenarios through multiple representations. The course framework delineates content and skills common to college precalculus courses that are foundational for careers in mathematics, physics, biology, health science, social science, and data science.  Final grades in Math I, Math II with A or B recommended.

AP CALCULUS AB * (in person or Online- NCVPS) (Elective) Prerequisite: Calculus Honors (Fall), Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required.

After completing Calculus Honors in the fall, students who wish to pursue Advanced Placement credit will continue calculus instruction for a second semester. This is a college level course and is offered for students who will take the AP exam. The course emphasizes a multi representational approach to calculus, with concepts, results, and problems being expressed graphically, numerically, analytically, and verbally. This course satisfies the 4th math requirement for the public universities in the UNC system.

AP Calculus BC (Online- NCSSM or NCVPS) (Elective) Prerequisite: Completion of Precalculus with a grade of B+ or higher through your local high school or NCVPS.
AP Calculus BC covers the material typically covered in the second semester college-level courses in calculus. The course covers all the topics in College Board's AP Calculus BC curriculum not already covered in the AP Calculus AB curriculum. You should be comfortable with derivative and integration techniques, as you will use these fundamentals to build an understanding of the calculus of polynomial approximations and series, vectors, polar functions, and parametric functions. During the semester, you will explore concepts graphically, numerically, and analytically to foster a more complex understanding. You should have a willingness to learn calculus at a very rapid pace, and you will need exceptionally good study habits. This course will prepare you to take the Calculus BC Advanced Placement Exam in the spring by utilizing class time to complete AP review problem sets.

AP STATISTICS  (Online- NCVPS) (Elective) Prerequisite: Pre-Calculus Honors, Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required.

Advanced Placement Statistics introduces students to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. Students will observe patterns and departures from patterns, decide what and how to measure, produce models using probability and simulation, and confirm models. Appropriate technology, from manipulatives to calculators and application software, should be used regularly for instruction and assessment.

AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE (Elective) Prerequisites: Biology and Chemistry or Physical Science. Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required.  The AP Environmental Science course is designed to engage students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships within the natural world. The course requires that students identify and analyze natural and human-made environmental problems, evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them. Environmental science is interdisciplinary, embracing topics from geology, biology, environmental studies,

environmental science, chemistry, and geography.

AP PHYSICS: Algebra-Based-  (Online- NCVPS) (Elective) Prerequisite: Physical Science or Chemistry Honors, Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required.

AP Physics continues the study of the physical phenomena studies in Honors Physics in more depth and at a more advanced mathematical level. Students are prepared for the AP exam through problem-solving and use of questions from the AP exam.

AP WORLD HISTORY: MODERN Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required.

The purpose of the AP World History course is to develop a greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts in different types of human societies. This understanding is advanced through a combination of selective factual knowledge and appropriate analytical skills. The course highlights the nature of changes in global frameworks and their causes and consequences, as well as comparisons among major societies. It emphasizes relevant factual knowledge, leading interpretive issues, and skills in analyzing types of historical evidence. Specific themes provide further organization to the course, along with consistency attention to contacts among societies that form the core of world history as a field of study. Students enrolled in this course will take the College Board Advanced Placement test in the spring.

AP PSYCHOLOGY  (Online- NCSSM or NCVPS) (Elective)  Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required. 

Students study the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. The study of psychology enables students to recognize and cope with uncertainty and ambiguity in human behavior. Substantial out-of-class reading, writing, and research are expected. Students enrolled in this course will take the College Board Advanced Placement test in the spring. This course will be paired with AP Research on an A/B Schedule. Those students wishing to take this course but not AP Research, will choose an online course to pair with it in place of the AP Research. 

AP RESEARCH (Elective; Required for the AP Capstone Diploma) Prerequisite: AP Seminar. Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required. AP Research, the second course in the AP Capstone experience, allows students to deeply explore an academic topic, problem, issue, or idea of individual interest. Students design, plan, and implement a yearlong investigation to address a research question. Through this inquiry, they further the skills they acquired in the AP Seminar course by learning research methodology, employing ethical research practices, and accessing, analyzing, and synthesizing information. Students reflect on their skill development, document their processes, and curate the artifacts of their scholarly work through a process and reflection portfolio. The course culminates in an academic paper of 4,000–5,000 words (accompanied by a performance, exhibit, or product where applicable) and a presentation with an oral defense. Students enrolled in this course will take the College Board Advanced Placement test in the spring. This course will be paired with AP Psychology on an A/B Schedule. Those students wishing to take this course but not AP Psychology, will choose an online course to pair with it in place of the AP Psychology. 

AP GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS (Online- NCVPS) (Elective) Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required.

AP U.S. Government and Politics provides a college-level, nonpartisan introduction to key political concepts, ideas, institutions, policies, interactions, roles, and behaviors that characterize the constitutional system and political culture of the United States. Students will study U.S. foundational documents, Supreme Court decisions, and other texts and visuals to gain an understanding of the relationships and interactions among political institutions, processes, and behaviors. They will also engage in disciplinary practices that require them to read and interpret data, make comparisons and applications, and develop evidence-based arguments. In addition, they will complete a political science research or applied civics project. Students enrolled in this course will take the College Board Advanced Placement test in the spring. 

AP AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES  (Online- NCSSM or NCVPS) (Elective) Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required.

In AP African American Studies, students explore key topics that extend from early African kingdoms to the ongoing challenges and achievements of the contemporary moment. Given the interdisciplinary character of African American Studies, students in the course will develop skills across multiple fields, with an emphasis on developing historical, literary, visual and data analysis skills. This course foregrounds a study of the diversity of Black communities in the United States within the broader context of Africa and the African diaspora. The course provides students with a strong foundation in facts and evidence about African American history and culture, offering an immersive survey course that is not currently available in most American high schools. Students enrolled in this course will take the College Board Advanced Placement test in the spring.

AP EUROPEAN HISTORY  (Online- NCVPS) (Elective) Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required.

In AP European History, students investigate significant events, individuals, developments, and processes from approximately 1450 to the present. Students develop and use the same skills, practices, and methods employed by historians: analyzing primary and secondary sources; developing historical arguments; making historical connections; and utilizing reasoning about comparison, causation, and continuity and change over time. The course also provides seven themes that students explore throughout the course in order to make connections among historical developments in different times and places: interaction of Europe and the world, economic and commercial development, cultural and intellectual development, states and other institutions of power, social organization and development, national and European identity, and technological and scientific innovations. Students enrolled in this course will take the College Board Advanced Placement test in the spring. 

AP COMPUTER SCIENCE A  (Online- NCVPS) Prerequisite: Math I, Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required.

Introduces students to computer science through programming. Fundamental topics in this course include the design of solutions to problems, the use of data structures to organize large sets of data, the development and implementation of algorithms to process data and discover new information, the analysis of potential solutions, and the ethical and social implications of computing systems. The course emphasizes object-oriented programming and design using the Java programming language. Students enrolled in this course will take the College Board Advanced Placement test in the spring.

AP COMPUTER SCIENCE PRINCIPLES  (Online- NCSSM or NCVPS) Prerequisite: Math I, Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required.

Students cultivate their understanding of computer science through working with data, collaborating to solve problems, and developing computer programs as they explore concepts like creativity, abstraction, data and information, algorithms, programming, the internet, and the global impact of computing. Students enrolled in this course will take the College Board Advanced Placement test in the spring.

AP ART HISTORY  (Online- NCVPS) Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required.

The AP Art History course welcomes students into the global art world to engage with its forms and content as they research, discuss, read, and write about art, artists, art making, and responses to and interpretations of art. By investigating specific course content of 250 works of art characterized by diverse artistic traditions from prehistory to the present, the students develop in-depth, holistic understanding of the history of art from a global perspective. Students learn and apply skills of visual, contextual, and comparative analysis to engage with

a variety of art forms, developing an understanding of individual works and interconnections across history. Students enrolled in this course will take the College Board Advanced Placement test in the spring.

AP MUSIC THEORY Prerequisite: Advanced Concert or Jazz Band, Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 required.

A student who wishes to take an Advanced Placement course in music theory must have completed a section of Advanced Honors Band, or have passed a music theory screening test with the band director.  The course will cover much of the material that would be in the first level of music theory in college.  Students enrolled in this course will take the College Board Advanced Placement test in the spring.