Learn more about AP Capstone

Learn why IB is unique

The AP Capstone program was officially launched by College Board in 2014, born of a need to better prepare students for the challenges of college-level work. From research methodology to academic writing to presentation skills to encouraging original thought and innovation to teaching collaboration, AP Capstone offers juniors and seniors tangible, necessary skills for college and beyond. Students are taught to view the challenges we face through a variety of lenses and from different perspectives, necessarily broadening their worldview. They are also encouraged to pursue individual passions and create research opportunities within the disciplines that are most appealing and important to them and their future studies.

This program was implemented at Lubbock High School in 2018. The first graduating class of AP Capstone Diploma candidates was the class of 2019.

Basic Requirements

• Qualify on 4 AP exams of your choice, plus AP Seminar and AP Research.

• Develop skills in collaboration, research, and argumentation through a junior year Team Project and Multimedia Presentation (TMP) with accompanying Individual Research Report (IRR) that centers on a current local, national, or international issue.

• Further develop those skills during your junior year through an Individual Written Argument (IWA) and its accompanying Individual Multimedia Presentation (IMP) exploring a topic of choice somehow related to the College Board's chosen source materials (stimulus materials). 

• Conduct original research within any discipline that culminates in a 4,000-5,000-word researched essay and 20-minute professional presentation over the course of your senior year.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme is a holistic, world-recognized curriculum that emphasizes well-roundedness, global-mindedness, and community engagement. This challenging program is designed to help highly motivated juniors and seniors relate their academic experiences to the realities and complexities of the world around them. Through ongoing opportunities for critical thinking and personal reflection, students will emerge from the IB program with a greater sense of who they are and how they can use their individual strengths to have a positive impact on their society.  Students pursuing the IB Diploma will be prepared for success at universities throughout the world. 

The IB Diploma Programme has been available to Lubbock High students since 2001.  We are proud to be the only high school in this area to offer this life-altering educational path.

Basic Requirements

• Earn qualifying exam scores in 6 subject groups: Language and Literature, Language Acquisition, Individuals and Society, Sciences, Mathematics, and The Arts

• Develop research and communication skills (written and oral) through IB course projects, such as research papers in various disciplines, oral presentations, group projects, guided discussions, and more.

• Be involved in Creativity Activity Service (CAS) opportunities and complete the Theory of Knowledge (ToK) philosophy course -- a unique class at the core of the IB curriculum and available only to IB students.

• Investigate a topic of personal academic interest through the construction of a 4,000-word Extended Essay (EE).