AP Courses

The AP Biology course is equivalent to a two-semester college biology course for science majors. Students develop advanced inquiry and reasoning skills, such as designing plans for collecting data, analyzing statistical data, applying mathematical routines, and connecting concepts in and across domains. Twenty-five percent of the course will be devoted to traditional and inquiry-based labs. The course expands on concepts originally presented in Biology and intertwines concepts from chemistry. 

The AP Chemistry course is equivalent to a two-semester college chemistry course for science majors. Students learn new concepts as well as expanded concepts originally presented in Chemistry. This course will require additional hours of study time outside of class. Major topics include atomic structure, bonding, kinetic theory, oxidation-reduction, chemical reactions and equilibrium, thermodynamics, as well as quantitative and qualitative analysis. The students spend at least 25% of their time completing traditional and inquiry-based labs. It is recommended that students have a calculator with scientific functions.

This course is a rigorous study of English, American, and World literature; students are exposed to prose, drama, and poetry during the course of the school year, and also complete numerous writings. Writing in AP Literature and Composition will be of both the shorter timed writing styles as well as longer, extended analyses. Much of the discussion and analysis revolves around style and literary technique contributing to meaning. Course syllabi are written by individual teachers of a course and approved by the College Board.

The AP French Language and Culture course takes a holistic approach to language proficiency and recognizes the complex interrelatedness of comprehension and comprehensibility, vocabulary usage, language control, communication strategies, and cultural awareness. Students learn language structures in context and use them to convey meaning. The AP French Language and Culture course strives to promote both fluency and accuracy in language use. In order to best facilitate the study of language and culture, the course is taught in the target language. Upon completion of the course, students may elect to take the AP French Language & Culture exam.

The purpose of an AP course in macroeconomics is to give students a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to an economic system as a whole.

The purpose of the AP course in microeconomics is to give students a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to the functions of individual decision-makers, both consumers and producers, within the economic system.

AP Physics 1 is a college-level course that requires additional hours of study time outside of class. It is an algebra and trigonometry-based course. 

AP Physics 2 is a continuation of AP Physics 1. It is a college-level physics course that has its basis in algebra and trigonometry. Topics of study include motion and dynamics of charges and subatomic particles, electricity and magnetism, fluids, thermodynamics, modern physics, electromagnetic waves, and optics. 

The AP Psychology course introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students are exposed to major psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major fields within psychology. They also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice. 

AP Statistics is a rigorous course that is designed to introduce students to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. Students are exposed to four broad conceptual themes: 1) Exploring Data: Describing patterns and departures from patterns, 2) Sampling and Experimentation: Planning and conducting a study, 3) Anticipating Patterns: Exploring random phenomena using probability and simulation, and 4) Statistical Inference: Estimating population parameters and testing hypotheses.

The AP United States Government and Politics course will help students cultivate their understanding of U.S. government and politics through analysis of data and text- based sources as they explore topics like constitutionalism, liberty and order, civic participation in a representative democracy, competing policy-making interests, and methods of political analysis. It also requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute U.S. government and politics.

Students will cultivate their understanding of world history from c. 1200 CE to the present through analyzing historical sources and learning to make connections and craft historical arguments as they explore concepts like humans and the environment, cultural developments and interactions, governance, economic systems, social interactions and organization, and technology and innovation. Upon completion of this course, students may elect to take the AP World History exam.