IB Course vs. IB Diploma

The IB diploma is the most challenging academic program that the school has to offer.  It is a rigorous pre-university course of study that is demanding in terms of workload, scheduling, and standards. It is also the pinnacle of academic achievement at Hilton High School and is highly valued among prestigious colleges and universities for preparing students for post high school academic study.

If a student prefers, they may take any number of IB courses as stand alone classes.  It is our belief in HCSD that all high school students are capable of taking at least one IB course before they graduate. Correspondingly,  in the junior year, all students take the first year of either IB Literature or IB Language and Literature during their junior year and the first year of IB History.  Many of these students continue on to the second year of these courses as seniors.  We believe that every student has at least one area of academic strength and should challenge themselves in that area.

While it might seem that IB is for a select few, this is far from the case.  Currently, over 500 juniors and seniors are sitting in classes with the IB curriculum and the concept-based approach to education can be found throughout the entire district.  The IB diploma program is much more than just students working toward the IB Diploma; it is a researched-based educational philosophy that is found all throughout the high school.