Become an IB Student

Although there is flexibility, we recommend that 10th graders who may take the program in grades 11 and 12 enroll in the following grade 10 courses.

• Chemistry (usually Honors-level)

• Many prospective IB students take AP World History in grade 10, which provides useful preparation.  However, please be aware that AP World History satisfies the same graduation requirement as the senior IB History course and, in this way, is somewhat redundant.  Beginning in 2025-26, 10th graders have the option of taking Economics & Personal Finance, another graduation requirement that historically has been taught to seniors but frequently overcrowds an IB senior schedule, particularly for students who have important pursuits outside the IB Programme (internship, yearbook, newspaper, etc.).

• Honors English

• Math 2 or above; Honors Math 3 or above is most typical

• World Languages Level 2 or above; immersion students AP Spanish or AP Mandarin

• Other graduation credits or electives

• Many 10th graders choose to take AP Environmental Sciences, which can be helpful, especially for students who plan to take a Higher Level IB science course. However, the IB Environmental Systems and Societies meets the same graduation requirement so that students can build this requirement into their personalized IB program while fulfilling both state and IB science requirements simultaneously.

Please contact the IB Coordinators if you are moving to Raleigh and/or transferring from another school. If your intention is to join the IB Programme at Broughton as a 12th grade student after beginning the program at another school in grade 11, please be in touch as soon as possible so that we can do our best to work with the 11th grade school to ensure curriculum consistency.

Prior to enrolling, students who may use the IB Diploma as an admissions credential for universities outside the USA are strongly encouraged to consult the websites of their potential universities to determine if specific IB courses are required and others not allowed. This issue is of particular importance in some Northern European countries. Typically, the intention of these requirements is to ensure that the students' chosen IB courses closely mirror the curriculum and assessments required for university admission in the respective country and/or state. The IB Coordinators are happy to help with this process, so please let them know about your post-high school plans. Students who plan to enroll in universities in the USA do not typically need to be concerned about these additional admissions guidelines.