High school course guides

English

• English 9

  Ninth-grade English builds the reading and writing habits every other class leans on.

• English 10

  Tenth-grade English moves from understanding a text to arguing about it.

• English 11

  Eleventh-grade English is often American literature and the writing colleges look at first.

• English 12

  Senior English gets you ready for college writing and for reading on your own.

• Creative Writing

  Creative Writing is where you write your own stories, poems and scripts instead of writing about someone else's.

• Public Speaking

  Public Speaking trains you to stand up and be clear, which helps in interviews, presentations and any job with people in it.

Math

• Pre-Algebra

  Pre-Algebra fills in the number skills Algebra I is built on: fractions, negatives, ratios and simple equations.

• Algebra I

  Algebra I is the doorway to every other math course.

• Geometry

  Geometry is the math of shape and space, and the first course where you prove why something is true, not just compute it.

• Algebra II

  Algebra II is the math course colleges care about most.

• Trigonometry / Algebra III

  Trigonometry and Algebra III take Algebra II further and prepare you for Precalculus, Calculus or a college math course.

• Precalculus

  Precalculus pulls together algebra and trigonometry to get you ready for Calculus.

• Calculus

  Calculus is the math of change: how fast something grows, moves or fills up.

• Statistics

  Statistics teaches you to make sense of data: polls, studies, sports and medicine all use it.

Computer Science

• Computer Science Principles

  Computer Science Principles is a first look at how computers, the internet and code work, and at how technology changes the world.

Science

• Physical Science

  Physical Science is a first taste of chemistry and physics: what things are made of, and how things move.

• Biology

  Biology is the study of living things, from cells to ecosystems.

• Anatomy and Physiology

  Anatomy and Physiology is how the human body is built and how it works.

• Chemistry

  Chemistry explains what everything is made of and how substances change.

• Physics

  Physics explains motion, forces, energy, electricity and light, using math.

• Environmental Science

  Environmental Science looks at how people and nature affect each other: water, energy, climate, food and land.

Social Studies

• U.S. History

  U.S.

• World History and Cultures

  World history (Global Studies or World Cultures at some schools) shows how people, trade, beliefs and wars shaped the world you live in.

• Government and Economics

  Government and Economics teaches how laws are made, how your rights work and how money moves through the economy.

• Psychology

  Psychology is the science of how people think, feel and behave.

• Sociology

  Sociology is the study of groups: families, schools and towns, and how the groups you're in shape you.

• Human Geography

  Human Geography asks why people live where they do, and how cities, farming, language and migration shape the map.

World Language

• Spanish

  Spanish is spoken by more than 40 million people in the U.S.

• German

  German is widely used in science, engineering and business, and Pennsylvania has deep German roots.

Arts

• Studio Art

  Studio art courses teach you to look closely, make things by hand and solve visual problems.

• Ceramics

  Ceramics is art you build in three dimensions from clay, by hand and on the wheel.

• Photography

  Photography teaches you to see and tell a story with a camera, and to edit images the way professionals do.

• Band

  Band is a class and a team: you get better on your instrument and learn to play with others.

• Chorus

  Chorus trains your voice and teaches you to sing with a group, from classical to pop.

• Music Theory

  Music Theory explains how music is put together, so you can read, write and arrange it.

Health and PE

• Physical Education

  Physical Education builds fitness habits you can keep for life, plus teamwork and sportsmanship.

• Health and Wellness

  Health class covers what keeps you well: nutrition, sleep, mental health, relationships and safety.

Career and Technical

• Personal Finance

  Personal Finance teaches the money skills everyone needs: budgeting, saving, credit, loans and taxes.

• Accounting

  Accounting is the language of business: how money coming in and going out is tracked.

• Entrepreneurship

  Entrepreneurship is about starting something: finding a problem, building a product and selling it.

• Business Law

  Business Law explains contracts, rights and the rules businesses and workers live by.

• Engineering Design

  Engineering Design (including PLTW Introduction to Engineering Design and CAD) teaches how engineers solve problems: sketch, model in 3D, build and test.

• Welding and Metal Fabrication

  Welding is a skilled trade in high demand.

• Woodworking

  Woodworking teaches you to plan and build real things with tools, from a cutting board to furniture.

• Foods and Culinary

  Foods courses teach cooking, baking, nutrition and kitchen safety: life skills, and the first step toward culinary and food-service careers.

• Food Science

  Food Science is the science of what we eat: how food is grown, processed, kept safe and turned into products on store shelves.

• Child Development

  Child Development teaches how kids grow and learn, and how to care for and teach them.

• Agriculture and Natural Resources

  Agriculture courses cover how food, animals, plants and land are managed.

• Veterinary Science

  Veterinary Science teaches animal anatomy, health and care, and is a first look at careers as a vet or vet tech.

• Horticulture and Plant Science

  Horticulture is growing plants for food, beauty and business, in greenhouses, gardens and landscapes.

• Wildlife and Natural Resources

  This course is about forests, fish and wild animals, and how people take care of them.