ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) PROGRAM

Are you ready for a unique learning experience that will help you succeed in college? Each year, students around the world who want to learn and achieve at the highest possible level in high school become Advanced Placement (AP) students. The College Board, a not-for-profit membership association, whose mission is to connect high school students to college success and opportunity, supports the AP Program. AP courses, taught at a college level, offer a rigorous and rewarding challenge for high school students. Through AP’s college-level courses and exams, students can earn college credit and advanced placement, and stand out in the admissions process. According to the College Board, completion of an AP class during high school correlates directly to success and persistence in college. To register for an AP course, students must meet certain criteria as specified by the academic department. These might include prerequisites and/or an application process, which would be indicated in the course descriptions.

Download our Curriculum Guide for more details and graduation requirements.

Courses Offered

At Pius XI, we offer a wide range of AP courses:

Art & Design:

AP Studio Art Portfolio Preparation, AP Studio Art -11, & AP Studio Art-12

English:

AP English Literature and Composition & AP English Language and Composition

Mathematics:

AP Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, & AP Statistics

Science:

AP Biology, AP Physics I, AP Environmental Science, AP Chemistry

Social Science:

AP Human Geography, AP Macroeconomics, AP Psychology, & AP US History

World Language:

AP French

Registration in an AP course automatically includes registration for the AP exam. Each AP exam is approximately $100 with a reduced fee rate of $62 (may vary each year) for students whose parents/guardians qualify for free/reduced lunch. Students may decide to take an AP course but not the exam. All AP exams must be canceled or paid for by mid November in order for parents/guardians not in incur the $40 exam cancellation fee for any exam that is not taken.

AP classes are taught daily during one semester with the addition of a mandatory weekly Flex in the opposite semester. In AP Flex, students either earn NG which grants .25 credit and has no GPA impact or they earn an F which does not grant credit and does slightly impact their GPA. Semester grades that students receive in their AP courses are weighted. This means an “A” is figured into a student’s grade point average as five points rather than four, etc. Any grade lower than a C+ is not weighted. Pius XI recognizes and will accept AP credit from other accredited sources but the grade will not be averaged into a student’s GPA as a weighted grade. To have a successful, complete experience in an AP course, students should take the AP exam for that course in May.

Concurrent/Dual Enrollment

Pius XI Catholic High School partners with local universities to offer concurrent enrollment/dual enrollment. These courses allow qualified high school students to learn a college curriculum as part of their high school curriculum. Some of these courses are taught at Pius XI by credentialed Pius XI staff; some are taught at Pius XI by college/university staff; and some courses require students to travel to the college/university campus. Students who choose to enroll pay a substantially reduced tuition rate for the college credit and are admitted to the University as “non-degree seeking students.” Upon successful completion of the course, these students will receive high school credits, as well as college credits and an official University transcript. The official University transcript verifies to other colleges/universities that the student has received college/university credits.