PHS AP WEBSITE

 WHAT IS ADVANCED PLACEMENT?

Advanced Placement (AP) is a program created by College Board that offers college-level courses to high school students. At the end of each AP course, students can take an AP Exam that could earn them early college-credit.

Here at Palisades High School, we offer 15 different AP courses to our students.

 WHY TAKE AP CLASSES?

Earn College Credit: Depending on the score a student gets on their AP Exam (ALL AP Exams are paid for by CMS, meaning they are free for students) and what college they decide to go to, AP students have the opportunity to earn college credit during their time in high school. This allows them to potentially save time and money during college by allowing them to get ahead in their credits. 

Boost GPA: Taking AP classes provide a special boost to your GPA. Since AP classes are college level courses, they provide students with an additional "quality" point. Most students refer to AP classes as "5.0 Classes" because if you get an A in an AP class, it weighs as a 5.0 on your GPA, significantly raising it.

Stand Out to Colleges: Having AP classes on your high school transcript significantly bolsters your resume to colleges as it shows them that you are a student who is motivated to succeed and capable of handling a rigorous workload.

Get Familiar with College: While the classroom environment is often up to the teacher and students, the content of AP classes themselves offer students a taste of what college-level expectations are like. AP classes can help students be more prepared for college by giving them the skills and tools necessary to succeed in a college-level class.

Develop Your Passion: There are a large variety of AP classes out there and some of them may align strongly with your interests and help you develop them. AP classes can also help develop new undiscovered interests for students.