Advanced Placement (AP) classes are fast-paced, rigorous courses that allow high school students to gain college credit early, bolster their college applications, and boost their GPA. However, what initially started as a program for “America’s brightest students” has since approached the norm, with about 35% of recent high school graduates taking at least one AP course.
While many high schools require students to take prerequisite courses or placement tests before allowing them to enroll in an AP, Highland Park High School has no such hurdles. This open policy allows underclassmen to skip available college prep (CP) or honors courses in favor of their AP variants. However, as a growing number of freshmen populate APs, some educators doubt whether underclassmen should be able to skip introductory classes.
Mr. Kruger, who teaches biology at both the AP and CP level, expresses, “As long as students can stay on top of their work, they will do fine.” Many younger students have met or exceeded this expectation, with several freshmen in AP Biology last year earning a score of 4 or 5 on the College Board exam.
However, what happens when students lag behind? With only five months to cover upwards of six dense college-level units, AP students are expected to self-study and produce high-quality work. While students of any grade can struggle academically, freshmen have just transitioned from a minimal workload in middle school to a more substantial one in high school. Therefore, they may feel more overwhelmed than their older counterparts, who’ve had chance to develop fundamental skills through college prep and honors classes. When asked, several freshmen stated they do not know how to effectively study, a skill gap that negatively impacts their grades and mentality.
Additionally, as an increasing number of freshmen enroll in AP courses, more students endure greater stress from the beginning of their high school careers. Mrs. Wilson, the AP and CP World History teacher, mentions, “Many of the freshmen in AP World are doing [well], but the one thing I am worried about is early burnout.” This sentiment is shared by Mr. Lassiter, who states, “AP classes are designed to give juniors and seniors a more in-depth understanding of subjects to help them decide what they want to study in college. While many freshmen thrive in these courses, they should not be a source of additional stress or deter them from pursuing extracurricular activities the school offers.”
This concern appears to be well-founded. Indeed, many freshmen have expressed being overwhelmed by their AP workload, with several mentioning it can take them upward of two hours to complete AP homework alone. Cecilia Tanner-Riccardi, a freshman in AP World History, explains, “I regret taking AP World before CP. I feel like the background would have been helpful.” When asked what motivated them to pursue AP World, other freshmen cited pressure to take an AP for college and the idea that it is an “easy AP.”
Teachers and upperclassmen alike stress that many freshmen hold misguided notions surrounding AP coursework. Mickayla Ramrekha, a junior in AP World who took CP World History before, emphasizes the merit of not skipping straight to AP, stating, “Mrs. Wilson puts a lot of effort into her CP classes…1000 percent it was not boring at all but beneficial.”
High freshman enrollment in APs reflects a broader trend of pressure on students to overexert themselves academically. Teachers, administrators, and upperclassmen alike stress the importance that freshmen maintain the autonomy to enroll in AP and accelerated courses for their enrichment, but not to appease their peers or college admissions teams. Ultimately, Highland Park High School students are intended to hone foundational skills and develop interests in subjects, not compete based on the difficulty of their schedule.