Why No AP Classes?
If you look at the curriculum at CWHS, you’ll see classes like Kinematics, History Through Architecture, Marine Biology, Revolutions, Djembe, Digital Publishing, Electricity and Magnetism, and Stone Sculpture. What you won’t see are Advanced Placement (AP) classes.
why no AP classes?
We get it. When you’re thinking about High School, you’re thinking about college, too. And beyond! AP classes can seem like a great way to get ahead and stand out on college applications. So why doesn’t CWHS offer them?
Advanced Placement classes are a product sold by the College Board, a private non-profit organization. As a recent Forbes article states, "If students did not have AP classes available to them at their schools, [college] admissions officers will not expect to see AP courses or AP exam scores included in their applications. As such, these students’ applications will not be disadvantaged in any way by not including AP exams."
So, What Instead?
Schools that purchase the Advanced Placement curriculum train their educators to teach to the test. At CWHS, we want our educators to teach to the students.
The classes we offer are honors-level, meaning that CWHS students get a rich and rigorous education on a wide variety of subjects, from Medieval History, to Geophysiology, Advanced Calculus, to Sculpture. Combining our classwork with international exchange opportunities, service-learning travel, and Chicago-based day-trips, we ensure that our young people are getting an education that isn’t limited by test questions — while also helping them stand out on those college applications!
What Are the Results?
Over the last few years, our graduates have been accepted to a number of prestigious colleges and universities, including: University of Chicago, New York University, Northwestern University, Smith College, University of Wisconsin, Howard University, Oberlin College, Vassar College, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Berklee College of Music. Some have founded non-profits, designed rockets, built stadiums, and won Olympic medals.
A Waldorf alumna just went to space, proving that, with Waldorf education, even the sky isn’t the limit!
If you want to learn more about how a CWHS education has affected our alumni, check out our recent Alumni in the World Panel Discussion here.
