academic Departments

Please be sure to read the guidelines below before finding the department and course you are interested in.

Taking an AP course is a commitment to doing college-level work in addition to the other demands of high school. AP courses are yearlong courses and a student is expected to remain enrolled for the entire year.

The AP program was developed by the College Board to provide students the opportunity to receive college credit for a course taken in high school. The course is taught at a college level so that a student is prepared to take the AP exam for that specific subject in May. If a student earns a 3, 4, or 5 on the exam, some colleges will give the student college credit. Colleges expect that students who complete an AP course also take the corresponding AP exam in May. Although there is a fee for each exam, fee waivers are available for eligible students. AP course grades receive extra weight in the GPA calculation, although the program was not designed for this purpose, but rather to expose students to the challenge of college level coursework.

AP courses are for the serious and dedicated student who is willing to devote the significant extra time and effort needed to complete the college-level content and to prepare for the AP exam. Very rigorous standards are maintained in AP courses, and students find them to be significantly more demanding than regular or Honors classes. AP courses tend to have prerequisite courses that need to be taken in order for a student to be properly prepared for the course and may have other entrance criteria such as teacher recommendation.

Students that drop an AP class after the first semester are not guaranteed placement in an Honors level section of the equivalent course. Seniors who drop AP courses at the semester should notify each college to which they have applied as failure to do so may result in the withdrawal of an offer of college admission. Requesting an AP course indicates that you are aware of this information and are willing to take on this additional workload. Students are encouraged to examine their time commitment to curricular and extra-curricular activities themselves and with their parents to ensure enrollment in one or more AP courses is reasonable.