Ursuline High School offers an extensive Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum, which includes courses in English, Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, Chemistry, Biology, Spanish, French, U.S. History, and U.S. Government. Students enjoy the challenge offered through an honors or AP course, while faculty find that AP courses enhance their students' confidence, academic interest, and achievement. Those students enrolled in an AP course are taking college-level courses that could lead to college credit. All courses contribute significantly to student success on the ACT or SAT, college acceptance notes, and college success. Due to the increased challenges of a honors, AP course student grades are weighted on a 5-point scale, as opposed to the traditional 4-point scale. For example, an "A" is worth 5 points instead of 4 points for grade point calculation.

The Curriculum

English Department
     The English Department offers an honors course at every level. Students who demonstrate superior skills in reading comprehension, language use, vocabulary, and composition are invited into the English honors program. Students who then demonstrate success in their freshmen, sophomore, and junior honors classes will be placed in Advanced Placement Literature during their senior year and are eligible for college credit after successful completion of the Advanced Placement test. English classes help students to develop reading comprehension, critical thinking and writing skills. The honors curriculum in English requires summer reading.

Math Department
    The Math Department at Ursuline offers an extensive honors curriculum. Students who score high on the placement test can be placed into Honors Algebra I. Honors Geometry and Honors Algebra II and Trigonometry follow the introductory honors math course. During the senior year students can then take AP Calculus in preparation for the AP exam or college entrance exams.

Science Department
    For students who have a strong interest in, or plan for a career in science and meet the subject requirements, the Science Department offers the following courses: Honors Biology I, AP Biology II, and AP Chemistry. Both AP courses contribute significantly to student achievement in college, even when students forego the actual AP exam. All courses include extensive lab work.

 
Social Studies Department
      For students with an interest in history, AP U.S. History is offered. The one semester review class can be taken as a junior or senior after students complete the normal U.S. History curriculum as sophomores. AP U.S. Government is offered to juniors with a high level of motivation and ability. This class is taken in place of the required government courses during the junior year. Both classes require students to use content knowledge for critical analysis, as well as extensive writing assignments.

Foreign Language Department
     The Foreign Language Department offers two successful honors programs. Students who demonstrate success in their entry year of Spanish or French are then invited into the honors track. Both programs culminate with an AP class during the fourth year. AP Spanish and AP French allow students to take the AP exam to earn college credit or test out of foreign language requirements during college entrance examinations.

Honors & Advanced Placement Courses

          English:

Honors English 9

Honors English 10

Honors English 11

Advanced Placement Literature & Composition

          Math:

Honors Algebra I

Honors Geometry

Honors Algebra II & Trigonometry

Advanced Placement Calculus

          Science:

Honors Biology I

Advanced Placement Biology

Advanced Placement Chemistry

          Social Studies:

Advanced Placement U.S. History

Advanced Placement U.S. Government

          Foreign Language:

Advanced Placement Spanish III

Advanced Placement Spanish IV

Advanced Placement French III

Advanced Placement French IV

       Religious Education:

Honors Religion 12