Advanced Placement (AP)

Advanced Placement (AP) is a globally-recognized academic program that provides secondary school students with the opportunity to study first-year university content. AP curriculum is written by university professors and expert secondary school educators. The program reflects the academic content and rigor associated with post-secondary learning.

The Advanced Placement program far outreaches other programs, including the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. Much of the popularity of the AP Program rests on the breadth of choice of content and flexibility. Unlike the IB Diploma program, where a student must follow a prescribed pathway, AP students can opt to take a single AP course in a subject they are passionate about, or engage in as many AP courses as they see fit in terms of their post-secondary goals.

The Senior School timetable at HSC has been structured to allow students to select from nine different AP courses as part of their daily schedules. Students involved in AP typically elect to carry between one and three of AP courses in their timetable annually, although students can write as many AP exams as they wish over their secondary school careers.

Teachers and students work together to cover the enriched curricula in these programs and considerable time is dedicated to preparing the students for success on their AP exams. Because the curricular content of an AP course extends beyond the standard Ontario Ministry of Education course expectations, HSC students earn an Ontario Academic Credit in the subject area while concurrently preparing for the AP exam.

HSC is proud to have many graduates recognized as Advanced Placement (AP) Scholars. Students who are AP Scholars have earned grades of three or higher on a minimum of three AP exams. HSC also has several students who have earned grades of four or higher on a minimum of five AP exams to become AP National Scholars.