High School Science Courses

Be captivated by the wonders and beauty of the third planet from our Sun, Earth. Be amazed by what awaits your discovery within our solar system and beyond. Explore the universe. Earth Science is a laboratory course focusing on the study of space, geologic structures and forces, the waters on our planet, and atmospheric conditions. Through experimentation and investigation, students explore the earth systems including the geosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere, and the carbon cycle.

This course offers interactive experiences, higher-order thinking, and real-world application along with a variety of assessments. Upon completion of the course, students have a clear understanding of the dynamic forces at work in the world around them, becoming better caretakers of our planet, Earth.

College Prep • UC Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

Be captivated by the wonders and beauty of the third planet from our Sun, Earth. Be amazed by what awaits your discovery within our solar system and beyond. Explore the universe. Earth Science is a laboratory course focusing on the study of space, geologic structures and forces, the waters on our planet, and atmospheric conditions. Through experimentation and investigation, students explore the earth systems including the geosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere, and the carbon cycle.

This course offers interactive experiences, higher-order thinking, and real-world application along with a variety of assessments. Upon completion of the course, students have a clear understanding of the dynamic forces at work in the world around them, becoming better caretakers of our planet, Earth. Students will develop deep understandings of concepts and explore concepts with an eye for research.

Honors • UC Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

This course is designed as an interactive, 21st century course focusing on basic physics and chemistry. Topics include forces and motion, energy through waves, electricity and magnetism, the matter around us, chemical bonding and reactions. This course is designed to serve as a foundation for the study of the physical sciences. Students use scientific inquiry and higher-order problem solving as they explore these topics through interactive simulations, and both virtual and hands-on experiences. In addition, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts are integrated throughout the course. Real-world assessments aid the student in ultimately demonstrating an understanding of the importance of the physical and chemical properties of the world around them.

College Prep • UC Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

This course is designed as an interactive, 21st-century course focusing on basic physics and chemistry. Topics include forces and motion, energy through waves, electricity, magnetism, the matter around us, and chemical bonding and reactions. This course is designed to serve as a foundation for the study of the physical sciences. Students use scientific inquiry and higher-order problem solving as they explore these topics through interactive simulations, and both virtual and hands-on experiences. In addition, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts are integrated throughout the course. Real-world assessments aid the student in ultimately demonstrating an understanding of the importance of the physical and chemical properties of the world around them. Students will develop deep understandings of concepts and explore concepts with an eye for research.

Honors • UC Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

This course guides students through the study of living and non-living systems and how they interact with one another. Students explore the world they live in by posing questions and seeking answers through scientific inquiry. Discovery takes place through observation and data collection. The students will be introduced to the structure, function, diversity, and evolution of living matter. This is a course with real relevance. It encourages curiosity and provides opportunities for students to work on hands-on lab activities. Engaging in the study of biological science broadens the picture of the world around us.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of an 8th grade science course

College Prep • UC Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

This Honors level course is a research and writing-intensive version of Biology. This course guides students through the study of living and non-living systems and how they interact with one another. Students explore the world they live in by posing questions and seeking answers through scientific inquiry. Discovery takes place through observation and data collection. The students will be introduced to the structure, function, diversity, and evolution of living matter. This is a course with real relevance. It encourages curiosity and provides an opportunity for students to work on hands-on lab activities. Engaging in the study of biological science broadens the picture of the world around us. Students will develop deep understandings of concepts and explore concepts with an eye for research.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of an 8th grade science course with an A or B

Honors • UC Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

The high school chemistry course is a two-segment study of the foundations of chemistry, building on the concepts and scientific thinking laid in middle school science. Students use scientific inquiry and higher-order problem solving as they explore the composition, properties, and changes of matter and their applications through interactive simulations, engineering solutions, and virtual and hands-on experiences.

Scientific inquiry, research, experimental procedures, data collection and analysis, and making inferences are an integral part of the learning experience. In addition, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts are integrated throughout the course. Through phenomenon-based learning, students will be able to demonstrate a vast understanding of the importance of chemistry in the world, enabling them to apply these principles to their everyday lives and our global society.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Algebra 1

College Prep • UC Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

The honors high school chemistry course is a two-segment study of the foundations of chemistry, building on the concepts and scientific thinking laid in middle school science. Students use scientific inquiry and higher-order problem solving as they explore the composition, properties, and changes of matter and their applications through interactive simulations, engineering solutions, and virtual and hands-on experiences. Scientific inquiry, research, experimental procedures, data collection and analysis, and making inferences are an integral part of the learning experience.

In addition, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts are integrated throughout the course. Through phenomenon-based learning, students will be able to demonstrate a vast understanding of the importance of chemistry in the world, enabling them to apply these principles to their everyday lives and our global society. Students develop deep understandings of concepts and explore concepts with an eye for research.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Algebra 1

Honors • UC Honors Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

We stand on the shoulders of giants. Whether by observation, experimentation or brilliant insight, the progress of physics through the centuries has been advanced by scientific geniuses who wanted to know how things work. You’ll find out for yourself when you take this course and visit “Physics World.” In each module of Physics, students discover the contributions of scientific geniuses like Galileo, Newton, and Einstein. Through their work, students learn the concepts, theories, and laws that govern the interaction of matter, energy, and forces.

From tiny atoms to galaxies with millions of stars, the universallaws of physics are explained through real-world examples. Using laboratory activities, simulations, images, and interactive elements, students follow in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest thinkers.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Geometry

Co-requisite: Enrollment in Algebra 2

College Prep • UC Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

We stand on the shoulders of giants. Whether by observation, experimentation or brilliant insight, the progress of physics through the centuries has been advanced by scientific geniuses who wanted to know how things work. You’ll find out for yourself when you take this course and visit “Physics World.” In each module of Honors Physics, students discover the contributions of scientific geniuses like Galileo, Newton, and Einstein. Through their work, students learn the concepts, theories, and laws that govern the interaction of matter, energy, and forces.

From tiny atoms to galaxies with millions of stars, the universal laws of physics are explained through real-world examples. Using laboratory activities, simulations, images, and interactive elements, students follow in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest thinkers. This is a serious course that will make you think. It will also make you appreciate the beauty and importance of the science that governs our lives. Students develop deep understandings of concepts and explore concepts with an eye for research.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Geometry

Co-requisite: Enrollment in Algebra 2

Honors • UC Honors Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

Explore the organization of the human body and how it works. Acquire the knowledge necessary to understand what the body is doing and how you can help the body cope with many different situations. Body systems will be studied in order to understand how their structure, location, and function allow for interaction with other parts of the body.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Biology

College Prep • UC Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

Explore the organization of the human body and how it works. Acquire the knowledge necessary to understand what the body is doing and how you can help the body cope with many different situations. Body systems will be studied in order to understand how their structure, location, and function allow for interaction with other parts of the body. Honors topics require an in-depth analysis of topics.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Biology

Honors • UC Honors Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

Along the way, students will hang ten as they discover waves, currents, tides, and other physical interactions between the ocean and the land. Finally, students will study the impacts of chemical processes on our blue planet and how they affect the water, the atmosphere, and even our climate. With a focus on conservation, this course will show students that the ocean connects us all, across distance and even time. Hang on—it's going to be an amazing journey.

College Prep • UC Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

Since the beginning of time, humans have relied on the ocean. But as our planet continues to change over time, human activity has impacted the environment. In the marine science course, students will explore the watery depths of our own planet and understand just how vital the ocean is to our existence. Throughout Marine Science, students will meet marine animals and see how they interact with each other and their environment. They will tour the evolving seafloor and see trenches, volcanoes, and ridges, just to name a few.

Along the way, students will hang ten as they discover waves, currents, tides, and other physical interactions between the ocean and the land. Finally, students will study the impacts of chemical processes on our blue planet and how they affect the water, the atmosphere, and even our climate. With a focus on conservation, this course will show students that the ocean connects us all, across distance and even time. Hang on—it's going to be an amazing journey. Students will complete an honors project each semester that showcases their unique learning styles and provides an in-depth analysis of a course objective.

Honors • UC Honors Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

AP^® Biology is designed to provide a college-level experience and prepare students for the AP exam in early May. Students will be provided with a foundation for developing an understanding for biological concepts through scientific inquiry, investigations, interactive experiences, higher-order thinking, real-world applications, writing analytical essays, statistical analysis, interpreting and collecting data. The key big ideas of the AP Biology course are system interactions, evolution, energetics, information storage, and transmission. Students will participate in a variety of engaging activities that enhance their mastery of biology concepts

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Biology, Chemistry, and Algebra 1

Advanced Placement • UC Honors Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

The level of rigor in these AP^® Science courses is equivalent to that required of students in a freshman or sophomore college course in this area of study. These courses have been audited and approved by the College Board and prepare students for the College Board Advanced Placement^® examination.

The AP^® Chemistry course provides students with a college-level foundation to support future advanced coursework in chemistry. Students cultivate their understanding of chemistry through inquiry-based lab investigations as they explore content such as: atomic structure, intermolecular forces and bonding, chemical reactions, kinetics, thermodynamics, and equilibrium.

Requirement: Students will receive a lab kit to complete the required lab component

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Biology, Chemistry, Geometry, and Algebra 2

Advanced Placement • UC Honors Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

The level of rigor in these AP^® Science courses is equivalent to that required of students in a freshman or sophomore college course in this area of study. These courses have been audited and approved by the College Board and prepare students for the College Board Advanced Placement^® examination.

AP^® Physics 1 is equivalent to the first semester of an algebra-based college-level course in physics and prepares students to seek credit and/or appropriate placement in college physics courses. This course is structured around the six big ideas that are intended to encourage students to think about physics concepts as interconnected pieces of a puzzle. The solution to the puzzle is how the real world around them actually works. Students will participate in inquiry-based explorations to gain a more conceptual understanding of physics concepts. They will spend less of their time in traditional formula-based learning and more of their effort will be directed to developing critical thinking and reasoning skills.

A special emphasis will be placed on capturing important aspects of the work that scientists engage in, with learning objectives that combine content with inquiry and reasoning skills. With teacher guidance, students explore physics, perform hands-on labs, engage with a suite of virtual labs and participate in online discussions with their peers. A variety of assessments are delivered at regular intervals to monitor learning progress.

Requirement: Students will receive a lab kit to complete the required lab component

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Algebra 2 and Trigonometry or concurrent enrollment in Pre-Calculus

Advanced Placement • UC Honors Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

The level of rigor in these AP^® Science courses is equivalent to that required of students in a freshman or sophomore college course in this area of study. These courses have been audited and approved by the College Board and prepare students for the College Board Advanced Placement^® examination.

With the current changes in global climate, rising sea levels, and warming oceans, it is important for students to discover the state of Earth's systems and the consequences of human activities. AP^® Environmental Science provides students with a global view of their world and their role in it. It examines the scientific principles and concepts required to understand the interrelationships between ocean, land, and atmosphere that guide the natural world and allow Earth to be a planet suitable for life.

Laboratory activities within the course support their learning of these relationships through reflective, hands-on, or virtual experiences. In addition, students identify and analyze environmental problems that are natural and human-made, determining their own ecological footprint in the world to discover how their activities affect the world around them. They evaluate the relative risks associated with environmental problems and examine alternative solutions, such as clean energy, sustainable practices, and conservation, for resolving or preventing future environmental problems.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Algebra 1 and 2 years of high-school science with labs

Advanced Placement • UC Honors Approved Science • NCAA Approved Science

The level of rigor in these AP^® Science courses is equivalent to that required of students in a freshman or sophomore college course in this area of study. These courses have been audited and approved by the College Board and prepare students for the College Board Advanced Placement^® examination.