In order to ensure that the curriculum at Elkin High School includes demanding, rigorous course offerings, honors level courses will be offered in accordance with State Board of Education guidelines. The administration and faculty of Elkin High School believe that it is necessary to guide students in registration so that only those students who will make a commitment to honors level courses sign up for them. Grade requirements are in place for each department’s honors curriculum. Please review the course guide’s course description and criteria for selecting courses for further details. The standards and requirements for honors courses must be maintained and strengthened, and all who register for such courses must make a strong commitment to the rigors of those courses.
Elkin High School offers Advanced Placement courses when certified teachers are available and when sufficient numbers of students request those courses. To strengthen and legitimize the AP curriculum, students who enroll in the AP courses will be required to take the AP exam for that course in May. Beginning 2017, the state of North Carolina will provide funding for all AP tests.
Some AP courses are spread over the entire school year in order to give students a better chance to master the subject matter and to score well on the AP exam. Calculus AP and Special Topics in Mathematics make a pair, and Pre-Biology HN and AP Biology make a pair.
The administration and faculty of Elkin High School believe that it is necessary to guide students in registration so that only those students who will make a commitment to AP level courses sign up for them. Students will be required to have a grade of 90 or higher in previous honors or AP course work in particular disciplines along with the recommendation of the teacher in order to register for AP courses. Exceptions will be made only when students and parents confer with the principal and/or counselors and sign an agreement indicating that against the school’s recommendation the student and parent wish to register the student for the AP course.
The standards and requirements for AP courses must be maintained and strengthened, and all who register for such courses must make a strong commitment to the rigors of those courses. Colleges and universities may award course credit to students who have high AP scores. Substantial financial benefits can be realized if students score high enough to get college credit. Please check the Advanced Placement Credit policy for the college or university you plan to attend. In 2019, UNC System Universities agreed to give credit to students who receive a passing score of a 3 on the AP exam.
We offer 6 AP courses:
AP Language and Composition
AP Literature and Composition
AP Environmental Science
AP Biology
AP Calculus AB
AP Psychology(online NCVPS)
AP and Honors courses require teacher recommendation for students to enroll in them. Each department meets with the counselor to make appropriate recommendation approvals. We ask parents to trust the teacher's recommendation. If there is a question as to why the recommendation was made please contact the counselor; however, EHS does offer a Parent Waiver option. A parent has the right to override a teacher recommendation if the student has prerequisites, but not recommended grade in the course. This is a simple form available by request.