AP and Honors Classes

In an effort to encourage our students to take demanding, advanced academic work, Piedmont High School offers courses designated as HONORS. These courses meet the University of California honors course guidelines and, if designated AP, prepare students for Advanced Placement examinations. Honors and Advanced Placement classes typically require additional projects and reading, and are more challenging than a regular college preperatory class. Students selecting these courses are expected to spend considerably more time in preparation outside of class. The grading standard for these classes is very rigorous.

Once a student has been placed in an honors or Advanced Placement class, it is generally not possible to change to a regular class in the same subject area.

AP Classes

Advanced Placement (AP) Classes from the College Board:
AP courses are designed to be college level courses with a cumulative test in May. Content for the course is created by The College Board.

More information from the College Board:
The AP Experience

Honors Classes

The curriculum for Honors courses is designed at the local, district level. These courses are more challenging than a college prep course and often are taught at a faster pace and have more homework than a college prep course. Students can view the course catalog for specific course descriptions.

AP and Honors Course Expectations:
Course Expectations for AP/Honors Classes - updated January 2024

The following courses are designated as AP or HONORS:

• AP Art 2-D Portfolio
• AP Art 3-D Portfolio
• AP Biology
• AP Calculus AB
• AP Calculus BC
• AP Computer Science Principles
• AP Computer Science A
• AP English Literature
• AP Environmental Science
• AP French
• AP Chinese
• AP Music (offered every other year)
• AP Spanish
• AP United States History
   
• Chemistry (Honors)
• Chinese IV (Honors)
• English 5-6 (Honors)
• French IV (Honors)
• Math Analysis (Honors)
• Physics (Honors)
• Spanish IV (Honors)
• Statistics (Honors)

Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Schedule

Piedmont High School administers Advanced Placement (AP) exams every spring in accordance with the College Board’s AP Schedule.  Students can visit the College Board website for up-to-date information.

AP Exams

AP Exams are administered in the first two weeks of May each school year. The schedule of these exams is created by the College Board at AP Central. For details, go to the AP Exam Timelines and Schedules

Students will be asked to pay for their AP exam in Infinite Campus (IC) in early Fall.